Indie Comic Creation

Placeholder cover of Issue 5. Currently a new title logo is in the works. Some comic universes eventually reach moments that go beyond battles, powers, and villains. Moments where an enemy is not something that can be punched, outrun, or defeated in a single fight. That is somewhat where Issue 5 of this series is headed. Without giving away spoilers, the next chapter will place the story’s complex anti-hero at the center of a conflict involving illness, suffering, and the har

Having your own comic series is a fun and exciting experience. In my drawing process blog , I explained and showed how I go about drawing my different comic pages. But what happens once the drawing is finished? This is part of the self-publishing process. While self-publishing a comic may seem a bit overwhelming, it becomes a lot more manageable once you understand the steps on how to do it. The great part about self-publishing as an indie creator is that you don't need a hug

In a previous blog I talked about the importance of consistency when it comes to creating a comic. However there's something else that's important as well when it comes to the creation process: Rest. Creating a comic is both a rewarding and demanding process. From writing the script, to the drawing process , to the marketing, it requires consistent effort and creativity. But sometimes creators might believe that the key to success is to work nonstop when in reality, the oppo

Creating comics is a fun experience. Writing the scripts, coming up with characters and how they interact with each other and thinking about the setting and surroundings they're in is engaging and exciting. In this blog, I'll explain the specific drawing process that I use when creating my comic Zero Hour Epsilon Force . Transitioning from Traditional Pencil and Paper to Digital Art Digital line art of Shackles Since Zero Hour Epsilon Force uses a cartoon art style that's r

When I first started out as a creator drawing my comic series, it was easy to look at big studios and assume their approach was the blueprint. But the longer I worked on my series, the more I realized that indie creators don’t get to think the same way big studios do. In fact, it can be a different game entirely. Big studios have massive teams, huge marketing budgets, recognizable brands, and built-in audiences that already care. Chances are, a small indie creator who's just

One of the most important traits for any creator —probably even more so than talent, the right tools, or some type of plan — is consistency . Whether someone is creating comics, making videos, or going to the gym, consistent effort over time almost always produces better results than occasional bursts of intense work followed by long periods of inactivity. In creative work, especially as an indie creator, progress a lot of times comes from steady forward movement. Consistency

When a new series begins, people may often expect it to feel fully formed from the very first page or installment. But the truth is, most long-running stories don’t start perfectly polished. They grow into themselves. And this is especially true for indie comic books. When I first began creating my comic series Zero Hour Epsilon Force , I knew the core elements I cared about: Superhero, action, sci-fi and fantasy storytelling Impactful themes Faith and the influence of Jesus

The written rules of time travel. Time travel is one of the most exciting narrative tools in superhero and science fiction stories because it allows heroes to fix mistakes and villains to rewrite history in their favor. With time travel, entire worlds and universes can collapse and be rebuilt in just a second or two. However, one crucial aspect sometimes gets overlooked: Rules. The Problem With Ruleless Time Travel Without rules, time travel can stop being powerful and start

The demon prior to the final battle in Zero Hour Epsilon Force. When I decided to include a Bible-based demon as a major villain in the trilogy story arc portion of Zero Hour Epsilon Force , I thought it would be straightforward. An evil entity who opposes God and causes chaos. But when I read the Bible and thought about the theology behind demons, it became a bit more complicated. While Zero Hour Epsilon Force is largely a science fiction and fantasy comic series, it also t

When people hear the phrase “Christian comic book,” they often imagine a very specific type of story. As I’ve been building my own comic universe, I’ve realized that creating a Christian-based comic book world comes with a few unique challenges that aren’t always initially obvious. Here are two struggles I’ve run into. Struggle 1: Christians Are Not Just One Audience It’s easy to talk about “Christians” as if we're one unified group. In reality, Christianity encompasses dive

When I first started creating my comic, I assumed that drawing it would be the most challenging part. However, this wasn't true. One of the most challenging obstacles I encountered was something I hadn’t initially thought about. It was that I had an overwhelming number of ideas for the limited comic space that was available. Superhero Movies and Saturday Morning Cartoons Influenced My Storytelling Perspective I didn't really grow up with comics much. I grew up watching many o

When you’re an independent comic creator, you often feel like there’s a lot of pressure to make every page count. Early on, I felt like every issue of my comic series had to knock it out of the park with constant action, high stakes and big moments. Because unlike a big name brand or well known creator, I felt like I didn’t have the luxury of time for story build-up. I assumed that if the story slowed down at all, readers would lose interest. And to an extent, I honestly stil