Is Anybody interested in collaborating on a manga?

[Scourge]

I've been wanting to ask about this, then I started to think about it and I dunno... we've got some really talented artists here and some who are talented but not at that level, and so I don't know how I'd pick who to help me without feeling like a total asshole to others.... But I'm way ahead of myself here, because that's assuming there would be multiply responses here. I'm picturing GTO level art here, in case you're wondering.

Coupla things:

This is non-paying and is just for fun.

I write the story, but I give input/advice on the art. I may ask advice on the story direction/details and am willing to listen to whatever you got to say.

The timetable/deadlines are loose loose loose (read: no real time pressures)

Should this turn out good, we'd certainly shop it around and you'd get all the credit due you.

So what's the story...

It's still somewhat up in the air as far as name and some details go, but here's the treatment:

This is a coming of age and stranger in strange land story of a 14 year old Japanese girl whose father is asked by his company in Tokyo to startup their American branch in Seattle. Her father is not so typical and wants to take his family with him for the two years he's been asked to go.

The girl is understandably trepidacious about going to America and her unease is fully realized once there through the difficulty of her immigration experience, having to overcome language and cultural barriers as she's thrust into American High School and accellerated ahead a couple of years so that she is not only quite foreign, but very young for a Junior.

Over the course of the two years she transforms though. The girl who started out as a fish out of water has blossomed into a young lady, the once wallflower now quite an outgoing sociallite. It's what happens in between that is the bulk of the story. This is about first kisses and first loves and all that gushy stuff. It's more drama than comedy. Oh, and it's a memoir, the story itself actually starts in 1986.

...1986, which lends the art direction some, er, direction? heh. One thing I'm going for here is authentically portraying the mid-80's without it seeming like caricature or spoof or whatnot. However, there is an overriding New Wave theme of which you must be aware. One person the girl meets is Michael ("Angel") who is quite reminiscent of Daniel Ash (Bauhaus/Love And Rockets)...
(...second from left)


Michael ("Angel") kind of takes her under his wing, to ease her acclimation process. Through him, she also gets exposed to the Goth/New Wave scene of Seattle in the mid-80's, which lends to her transformation as well. Oh, and the inspiration for this whole thing was a Strawberry Switchblade album...



...because a) the music sounds like anime music, and b) the lyrics just struck me as being about this girl. In fact, you, as the artist, would probably want to familiarize yourself with this stuff... (http://www.strawberryswitchblade.net)

There's more I'm sure I wanted to say, but I gotta get ready to leave work now... I'm still a little weirded out about asking about this. Hell, by the time I get home I might feel like a fool for it, but that's over an hour away, so hey.... Maybe I should just be asking for people interesting in talking about doing this...

[Drewbacca]

It's a good idea, and lord knows I'm not good enough to apply, but you're going to have a hard time finding a good artist who won't want to have freedom over his work when you're not paying him anything. Basically, if he's going to work on YOUR project for no money he's going to want to make it look like he wants to make it look like, artistically.

Also keep in mind that the best stuff in this world comes from collaboration and not one person calling the shots (not saying you would). Anyway, good luck man.

[MechDeus]

As a general rule I prefer more outlandish ideas and so on but I'm interested in working together. Not sure if my style is what you're after or if I'm even good enough for what you want (not sure what art of mine you've seen here, if any), but I'm willing to give it a shot if you want.

so I don't know how I'd pick who to help me without feeling like a total asshole to others

People should be able to take some form of rejection, especially when there are those more skilled around. It's not like you were planning on just going, "Actually I was just talking to FuryFox and Rezo, the rest of you are shit," were you? I doubt it, and saying "no" because you just aren't feeling what they make isn't some huge deal.

I'm picturing GTO level art here, in case you're wondering.

Like so?

[Drewbacca]

As a general rule I prefer more outlandish ideas and so on but I'm interested in working together.

Getting away from what you're comfortable doing, story wise, is definitely a good thing because it pushes you.

[Scourge]

Fwew. I'm back on. I nearly forgot I posted this. It seriously was something I was nervous about putting out there and I kind of blocked it out of my brain until now. Thank you very much for your replies guys.

I certainly understand the artistic freedom of which you speak Andrew. I'd want discussion on stuff, I wouldn't just be forcing things through, because I'd honestly not feel I have the power to do that anyway. Plus, I've considered this a lot over the past couple of months and actually find the prospect of someone else's idea of what the story looks like to be a very intriguing thing. Something I'm very excited about seeing really.

I'd want to have a planning discussion with the artist before anything gets done, just to let them know where I'm coming from. I mean, it would difficult for me to scrutinize each and every detail as they're being drawn and that would make for a miserable experience all around. The idea of giving in to someone else's art is something of a relief, and it will be a learning process for me as I take less and less control after the planning stages.

Plus, the artist will have to be patient with me. I've never done this before. I realize that some of you have a lot more knowledge of the way these things might work than I do so I'd try to keep my ego in check. At the end of the day, I know what I'm really asking for is a big favor and something I'd hope to be able to complete and really see come to fruition, because I really think it would be cool. For that, I'm willing to not have some uber-control going on.

Mech, I'll shoot you a PM.