Your Own Graphic Novel

[Camisado]

After reading Watchmen for the 5th time I started to think if I were to write my own graphic novel, what would it be about? So if you guys were to write your own novel what would it be about? Whos the main character? Anything is welcome here!

 

[Keyser Soze]

An idea I've been mulling over - originally I thought it could be an ongoing series, but now I think it might work better as a standalone graphic novel or mini - is a supervillain prison drama. It seems like such a no-brainer idea. The prison film sub-genre has given us some gems and outright classics, and several great comics (including, indeed, Watchmen) have featured standout stories/sequences behind bars. So why hasn't someone applied the prison setting to an original graphic novel? I'm thinking surely it's been done already, and I've just missed it, but if not.... I'm gonna fill that niche!

 

[The Question]

An idea I've been mulling over - originally I thought it could be an ongoing series, but now I think it might work better as a standalone graphic novel or mini - is a supervillain prison drama. It seems like such a no-brainer idea. The prison film sub-genre has given us some gems and outright classics, and several great comics (including, indeed, Watchmen) have featured standout stories/sequences behind bars. So why hasn't someone applied the prison setting to an original graphic novel? I'm thinking surely it's been done already, and I've just missed it, but if not.... I'm gonna fill that niche!

Hard Time was a series about a kid who went to jail for being an accomplice to a school shooting intended to be bloodless and simply prove a point that ended with his partner killing somebody, and discovered in jail that he had super powers.

There's also Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, a story about a businessman who manages to get off in an embezzlement case by succesfully pleading insanity (he had good lawyers), and the judge decides to stick it to him by sending him to Arkham for treatment.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I wasn't really counting Arkham Asylum: Living Hell (or Flash: Iron Heights, etc) as they featured already-existing characters in an already-existing coimc-book prison. But Hard Time sounds like it beat me to the punch.

 

[SuperFerret]

I'm fiddling around with a story about a shape-changer who masquerades as a number of different heroes to defend his city. He goes through an identity crisis when one persona is asked to take down another of his personas.

 

[The Question]

I wasn't really counting Arkham Asylum: Living Hell (or Flash: Iron Heights, etc) as they featured already-existing characters in an already-existing coimc-book prison. But Hard Time sounds like it beat me to the punch.

Well, there weren't any super villains in it. Just one guy with powers.

 

[Shemtov]

A watchmen-style phycological book about superheroes and a post-apocaliptic world. Balanced out with plenty of action!

 

[Anubis]

Don't let it get you down. There's very little that hasn't been done in comics. It's all in the execution.

I remember this mini from a couple of years ago about a group of super villains who where in the witness protection program. They lived in this small town that had a special border built to keep them in. They all turned states evidence against one of these doctor doom/count nefaria types who escapes and comes to get some vengeance. It was pretty good.

I had this idea a few years ago that probably could work as a stand alone graphic novel about this kid who has morphing powers (the kind where he not only can look like whoever he's posing as, but actually have their powers as well.) who is kidnapped by a secret government organization and experimented on for years to try and make him into an ultimate weapon to take out the worlds various superheros. I had him orignally in the Marvel Universe but it could go in anywhere really. Due to all the horrible experiments his tormentors subject him to, he kinda goes nuts and develops six different personalities. Each with their own powers, and look. Ones a six year old girl named Samantha, that can create hard light constructs. Like GL. Likes to make a vicious looking giant teddy bear she calls Mr. cuddles. (Very Donny Darko like.) An old black grandmother named Ethel that has super strength. A bum named Joe who has the power to transform himself into a mist. A very emo looking sixteen year old named Shane that has super speed. A big Latin gentleman named guillermo that's a telepath. And one more who's just known as bad johnny. Very scary guy. Does horrible things. He escapes, hooks up with some suicidal chick named Frankie, and they basically go on the run from the various super spooks the company sends after him.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I've thought of a story that I'd like to play with but Heroes ended up being similar in feel though it's varied from it.

General idea, the world is normal and people are normal, but then several people realize they have powers. Nothing extravagent, just small things. Low level telekinesis, speaking to small animals, etc. The group of 5 or so would come together as more of a counceling group and end up more like a family. The ages would vary from a middle-aged man who can see small flashes into the immediate future (3 to 10 seconds) and has become a gambling addict due to it. Another man is a man who can do nothing but sales... with the abilities to subtly manipulate others with his voice. There's two highschool students. A young asian woman, etc. In the process we'd learn that these minor powers have been around for a long time, just no one realized they were using them. Annie Oakley's aim, Hitler's speaking abilities, etc.

The book would eventually lead to the main character, the one with the voice, taking up politics and his temptation to make things go his way for his own reasons. A good man facing the possibility of corruption do to getting what he wants... in Hilter fashion. The slobbish gambler learns to care for the teenagers and specifically the girl... considering her his own child.

A young black boy deals with religious persecusion from his parents who consider his gift a sign of the devil while dealing with the suicide of his lesbian sister.

Eventually, these and others would have to deal with the potential threat of one of their own friends using his abilities inappropriately and the debate on what's right and what's wrong, and how far should they go to correct it. The story is never taken to superheroics, but real life reactions with powers.

I originally had it planned as a 25 issue series and a friend of mine and I wrote the first issue, did all the submission paperwork, and sent it to Platinum Studios. The guy there responded and said it sounded good but wasn't what they were looking for, as they wanted Graphic Novel entries and asked if we could consider shrinking the idea to a graphic novel. I was all for it but my friend who co-created this idea refused and said no, being unable to cope with the idea of scrapping all our work. Apparently he isn't the kind who can handle rejection.

I was a little upset by this, as I felt we had a chance to go with this, and even talked him into working on a graphic novel for it. We got a pretty good story but he hated it and we finally just put it on the shelves. If it weren't for our friendship I'd have taken the storyline and ran with it myself and tried to get a graphic novel out of it. Sadly, the idea has fallen by the wayside. I've considered going back to it, but I doubt it'll happen anytime soon.

 

[Harlekin]

Hard Time was friggin' awesome.

 

[Camisado]

All of these ideas sound great!

I have been thinking about one myself. A young man had a perfect life as a child his parents were nice to him and loved each other greatly. Reaching the age of 16 he takes up the chance of entering a military school for a greater education. His parents are happy for him but worried because he has never liked violence/war. You see the boy waving as he and his friend drive off to the school the parents are happy for him and the mother is crying. We then see a hooded man across roofs for around 3 panels. Then we see the young man in the army at a camp in Afghanistan. He is bullied by everyone in the group and hates it there, he wants to go home. One night the camped is attacked and raided and the boy becomes terrified. He witnesses the seargent of the squad being shot in the head, and he does nothing to stop it. (The seargent was the meanest to him and picked on him) Then when he gets home he realizes how horrible this world has become and tries to "fix" his home city. Thats kinda all I got. He is the guy you see jumping on roofs and he wears like a mask and military goggles and a balcalva. (Looks like winterized combat armors face from fallout 3 without the helm) he wears specialized armor (still cant think of a way he gets it) and its all black. IDK im not very good at wrighting and thinking up storys.

 

[Camisado]

Guys also if you have sketched up some ideas feel free to post a picture of your hero or main character!

 

[JewishHobbit]

From my above mentioned idea, we got a guy to work with us on pencils, but he only did a few scetched pages before some other things came up and he couldn't finish. This is the only one I still have.

 

[Camisado]

Awesine stuff Jewish really cool! I am trying to post a pic of my character soon but I don't have a scanner I think I can do it soon though!

 

[Camisado]

I really love the ideas on this thread! )) Keep it coming!

 

[The Question]

All of these ideas sound great!

I have been thinking about one myself. A young man had a perfect life as a child his parents were nice to him and loved each other greatly. Reaching the age of 16 he takes up the chance of entering a military school for a greater education. His parents are happy for him but worried because he has never liked violence/war. You see the boy waving as he and his friend drive off to the school the parents are happy for him and the mother is crying. We then see a hooded man across roofs for around 3 panels. Then we see the young man in the army at a camp in Afghanistan. He is bullied by everyone in the group and hates it there, he wants to go home. One night the camped is attacked and raided and the boy becomes terrified. He witnesses the seargent of the squad being shot in the head, and he does nothing to stop it. (The seargent was the meanest to him and picked on him) Then when he gets home he realizes how horrible this world has become and tries to "fix" his home city. Thats kinda all I got. He is the guy you see jumping on roofs and he wears like a mask and military goggles and a balcalva. (Looks like winterized combat armors face from fallout 3 without the helm) he wears specialized armor (still cant think of a way he gets it) and its all black. IDK im not very good at wrighting and thinking up storys.

The biggest problem with that idea is the fact that it seems to consider military school and the military to be the same thing. Military school has nothing to do with violence or war, it simply uses a system similar to the U.S. military's chain of command and has military style physical training to encourage focus and discipline (and, of course, get kids used to military life if they decide to enlist after graduating). A U.S. military school would not be in Afghanistan and is very unlikely to be raided by anyone. And if you simply want him to be in the military, 16 is too young to enlist legally.

Also, how is his crazy super hero alter ego watching himself from the rooftops before his origin?

 

[Camisado]

The biggest problem with that idea is the fact that it seems to consider military school and the military to be the same thing. Military school has nothing to do with violence or war, it simply uses a system similar to the U.S. military's chain of command and has military style physical training to encourage focus and discipline (and, of course, get kids used to military life if they decide to enlist after graduating). A U.S. military school would not be in Afghanistan and is very unlikely to be raided by anyone. And if you simply want him to be in the military, 16 is too young to enlist legally.

Also, how is his crazy super hero alter ego watching himself from the rooftops before his origin?

sorry this was really unclear. After the boy was in school he DID go onto war after graduation. He is not seeing the future, the man jumping the roofs is in the present and he is reflecting on his life, like the watchmen mars scene. Sorry.

 

[Camisado]

I wasn't really counting Arkham Asylum: Living Hell (or Flash: Iron Heights, etc) as they featured already-existing characters in an already-existing coimc-book prison. But Hard Time sounds like it beat me to the punch.

Yeah there was Hard Time but they're doesen't only need to be one jail GN your idea sounds great!

 

[DeGenerate10]

I've always wanted to do a comic series or graph novel about superheroes coming out of retirement for one last adventure. Right now I'm just trying to work off that idea a little bit and try to write some of the story for fun later on when I'm done with school

 

[Jochimus]

Eh, I have one idea I'd probably do for an ongoing, and another I'd do for two or three graphic novels. My graphic novel idea would revolve around a character I created, http://jochimus.deviantart.com/art/Mutation-Concept-Gantry-115279101. When I first came up with his story, it started out as a cut-and-dried superhero-vs.-supervillains adventure and he looked more robotic, but lately I've been rethinking it into an alien invasion/mutation story inspired by the movies that came out when I was younger, mostly from the remade versions of Body Snatchers ('78), The Thing, The Fly, Invaders From Mars and Village of the Damned, with a touch of Verhoeven's Robocop (poignant in a few moments, funny-in-a-really-nasty-way in most others) thrown in.

 

[Camisado]

Eh, I have one idea I'd probably do for an ongoing, and another I'd do for two or three graphic novels. My graphic novel idea would revolve around a character I created, http://jochimus.deviantart.com/art/Mutation-Concept-Gantry-115279101. When I first came up with his story, it started out as a cut-and-dried superhero-vs.-supervillains adventure and he looked more robotic, but lately I've been rethinking it into an alien invasion/mutation story inspired by the movies that came out when I was younger, mostly from the remade versions of Body Snatchers ('78), The Thing, The Fly, Invaders From Mars and Village of the Damned, with a touch of Verhoeven's Robocop (poignant in a few moments, funny-in-a-really-nasty-way in most others) thrown in.

SOunds awesome and the character looks great!

 

[BrianWilly]

Graphic novel, hmm? I'd probably just go with something traditionally and superhero-y. With giant, awesome armor.

Well, I have had an idea floating around in my head for a few years now about a fantasy/sci-fi series; three planets in a single system that are at war with each other. On one planet, the people live in the sky, are virtually deaf, but have excellent eyesight. On the second, they live in the ocean, have barely any sense of taste or smell, but have superhuman hearing. On the third, they live underground, with almost no sense of sight, but can smell and taste with snakelike accuracy. The first planet hates the third for not being able to see well, the seconds hates the first for not being able to hear well, and the third hates the second for...well, you get the gist. It gets a bit more complicated with different systems of government, religion, education, and magic between the three peoples, but the general theme is very straightforward and BKV-lite: "Children always inherit the baggage of their parents." It's going to be epic awesome and make me so rich that JK Rowling will become my mewling b****.

...Problem is that to this day I can't decide if it works better in novel, graphic novel, or screenplay format.

 

[WompuM]

I've been tinkering with the idea of doing a generational story of the gangs in St. Louis, since there are very distinct Irish, Italian, and French neighborhoods here.

 

[lespaul59]

I would do a graphic noval about two cowboys/ranch hands that travel back throught time somehow and travel back to the old west. I would either do it as a story about the cowboys chasing after the main villan and everybody travels through time. Or I would have them travel through time and stop a villan thats already in the old west. My time traveling villan would be somebody who stole something that if used could turn the know timeline upside down. And have the cowboys fall into something larger than just chaising some guy who they think is trying to steal from the ranch. If I would go with the old west villan he would basicly be a guy that terrorizes a town and the cowboys have to help the town stop the villan. And I would continue the stories by having time be changed by something they left behind or sombody doing something to alter the established timeline. I have the style of art I would want ion my hear but I'm not sure how to explain it.

 

[SuperMonkey]

I fully intend to publish this one day. I have an artist and have scripted the first two chapters:

It will be a series. The first book (titled SUPERMONKEY) revolves around a start-up superhero in Monkeytown, circa 4098. Monkeys control the world. This superhero also happens to be the prince, and some intelligence agencies don't take too kindly to his meddling in their affairs.

The hero (Eggward Martinez/Supermonkey) is eventually assigned a paramilitary squad. They bust an alien invasion and seem to be going strong. But not all is as it appears. Eggward's father is soon killed and he becomes the King-Mayor. The squad is actually an elaborate scheme set up by Director of Intelligence James Willard, and when Eggward is killed after freeing and landing a hijacked plane, the real mystery begins.

Five people in Monkeytown take the mantle of Supermonkey and a full-on Battle of the Supermonkeys breaks out. Eggward seemingly returns from beyond the grave.

Anyway, it turns out the Eggward who died was a clone, being subtly mind-controlled by Walton Smartingworth, Eggward's old friend with a grudge, who was one of the Supermonkeys.

Eggward returns to superhero life with his now-loyal Brigade and resigns as King.

End Book One.


Book Two (SUPERMONKEY AND THE FIFTH BRIGADE) expands on the team when Eggward and his girlfriend Kiki take a vacation in the lush rainforests of Saudi Arabia. They are quickly pulled into a milennia-spanning conspiracy to assassinate the future emperor Papaloo and to remove the Fifth Brigade from history.


Book Three (THE LAST HUMAN ON EARTH) takes a break from Eggward and the team for a while. In Saudi Arabia again, Eggward and the team are shocked to find a human, supposed to be extinct, raiding their storehouses. They follow her and bring her back to civilization. She takes up a mission around the world, mostly in Arctic Canada to find survivors of her own kind.

Book Four (THE TOILET OF DOOM) has no appearances by Eggward or any monkeys. It follows a group of persecuted humans in the American mid-west, circa 4012, who must travel to Canada to take out a human-hating alien superweapon. This one has been partially written. Check my threads to read it.

Book Five (SUPERMONKEY: Seeing Green) returns to the Fifth Brigade as the Green Thief, an early villain of Eggward's, returns to wreak havoc. But what terrible event almost brings Eggward's career to an end, and forces him to commit murder.

Book Six (SuperSquirrel and the Fifth Brigade) Colonel Nutsy McBeaver takes command of the Brigade while Eggward is imprisoned. Walton Smartingworth returns, and the Brigade must stop him -- without the man who knows Walton and his weaknesses best.


There's a hell of a lot more, but way too much to cover here. What does everyone think?

-- FunBob