Comics
- Amber Boys
- May 21, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: May 29, 2024
I have chosen to enter the international comic competition as my external engagement.
The theme of the comic must be related to flesh /meet some way. The theme being „Fleisch“, meaning flesh or meat.
You may submit only one comic (story in picture form):
• 4 pages maximum,
• format A4 or A3;
• only landscape formats.
Other than these rules you can do whatever you please.
Although there is a little criteria for this contest I will still need to take into consideration any challenges that may come from the competition standards for entry.
What challenges will there be when crating a landscape comic?
Panel Layout: The designing panels need to fit a wider landscape format this might affect the flow and arrangement of the comic. I have never read a landscape comic so this is something I need to keep in mind.
Visual Flow: Maintaining a natural reading flow from left to right could be more challenging as I am used to reading in portrait so I need to remember to guide the readers eyes through the panels in a natural way.
Art Composition: Ensuring balanced compositions within a wider frame could be trickier, as it might require more phocus on backgrounds and backgrounds/ landscape illustration is something I struggle with.
To align with the theme of flesh, I plan to make a macabre and slightly gory comic. Although I don't know the specifics of the narrative yet, I have a concept in mind that I believe will harmonize with the theme. I also aim to connect this comic to future projects through a cryptic element.
I wanted to base my comic on folklore but only take inspiration from the folklore that already exists and try and create my own.
After researching various creatures from folklore I decided to crate a monster based on a cat. Because throughout history, cats have been associated with different symbols and beliefs. In some cultures, they are linked to luck or fortune, while in others, they're seen as a sign of darkness or mystery, making them a versatile figure in folklore. Cats' nocturnal activities hunting and gifting dead animals to their owners and their ability to move silently in the dark led to beliefs that they could traverse between the physical and spiritual realms, making them a fitting character in stories related to the supernatural.
Some folklore inspiration for this cat creature could be
A Cat-sìth is a mythical creature from Celtic folklore, described as a black cat with a white spot on its chest, believed to have supernatural powers and associated with both good and bad fortune.
The Nekomata from Japanese folklore Supernatural cats capable of shapeshifting, often possessing two tails..
The Kasha from Japanese folklore, A cat demon that descends to earth to steal the souls of the recently deceased.
Maneki Commonly known as the "beckoning cat" or "lucky cat," a figurine believed to bring good luck and fortune to its owner.
Matagot from French folklore a shapeshifting spirit taking the form of a black cat, known to be both helpful and mischievous.
As I want this comic to be inspired by folklore, I want to figure out a way to make the comic come across as a story being told rather than watching events un fold. i'll do this by creating a narrator. The narrator will be the POV character in the comic, although I don't want them to be talking in last tense as I want to keep more tension in the narration. I decided to have the comic rhyme on sound like a nursery rhyme. That way it can allude to folklore on nostalgia and feel like a story been told.
Nursery rhymes.
Nursery rhymes typically include several common elements:
Simple and Catchy Rhymes: They often consist of simple, easy-to-remember rhymes and repetitive patterns, making them catchy for children.
Short and Concise: Nursery rhymes are usually brief, containing short verses or stanzas, which aids memorization.
Rhythm and Melody: They often have a musical or rhythmic quality, making them enjoyable to recite or sing. This rhythm helps in engaging children.
Narrative or Storytelling: Many nursery rhymes tell a short story, convey a lesson, or describe a situation, often featuring characters or scenarios.
Imagery and Vivid Language: They might use vivid language or imagery to paint a picture or engage the imagination of the young audience.
I have four weeks to finish this project until the deadline. That means I have one week each to create each page as I have chosen to do four pages. I feel like I can do this in this time for the deadline. Each illustration does take a long time as for me but I think a week is enough time to finish each page. That would include planning researching references, and I would need to give room for myself to be able to take constructive criticism and change panels or layout and fix mistakes accordingly.
Narrative.
When cats bring dead animals to their owners, it's often referred to as "gift-giving" or "presenting." This behavior is a natural instinct, and cats do it to share their hunting successes with their human caregivers, as they would with other cats in their social group.
I always found it creepy that cats do this but understanding why they do it it makes it kinda cute and endearing that is why I want to base my comic around this concept.
I started off by creating a text. I wanted to create some thing reminiscent of a folklore story. A letter being wrote to somebody about a creature encounter under nursery rhyme at the same time.
Adding all of these elements together to create a wierd poem to go along with the creepy illustrations I hope to create.
This is a poem about a creepy cat that is leaving presents (dead animals) at the narrators door. The animals at the door keep getting bigger. It’s normal at first like dead mice but soon the animals are large rodents and even other cats that have been decorated with bows and ribbons. At the end the narrator meets the cat. The cat is a normal cat but has the face of a human woman.
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