| Inspired
many years ago, this all started with a voice. A voice described in the comic
as sounding like "a banshee with a throat cold" that would shout "DRIVE!!"
randomly while we were in the car. No, it wasn't me either. I have my dear friend
the Webmaster to thank for that and most other details about Sparkie. You see
the characters were developed one at a time, all by specific people, adding more
as the ideas grew, and all before we even know what to do with them. We just though,
"What a funny concept." Characters that are utterly opposite of what
you'd expect. Though of course it needed a "straight man" in the mix.
Someone needed to have the ulcer. (guess who got to create him? Yeah, me. That's
who.) But once
the characters started coming together, I began doodling them for the fun of it.
And boy did they go through quite a few appaerance chances. There was even one
complete personality change. (One day I will find some of the original sketches
and scan them in, if I don't think they're too scary looking.) The
next dilemma was then what to do with this (slowly increasing) motley band of
characters. I'd been trying to do more writing at the time, but found it was difficult
since work and schooling were taking up the majority of my time, and those were
not places I could write at. But I could continue my doodling. And I would often
add text to them.
Admittedly, I don't remember who actually had the idea of
turning them into a webcomic, but I decided to take the idea and run with it.
They were perfect for it! I just needed to get some good plot ideas going and
get drawing. ... Yes, easier said than done. But, as always, I had my every plentiful
throng of talented creators. (Yes, I'm talking about my friends: those who'd helped
me develop the characters in the first place, and any others who I happened to
nab and were willing to give me some input.) While
actually working on the "storyboards" as it were, I also found endless
inspiration in my anime addiction. Yes, my art style picked up a lot of anime
touches to it. I've found for a short time, I can sort of copy a style as I've
recently seen it, though eventually I always default back to my original style,
with just something new added and improving it.
But it was also one of those
animes that inspired the general concept of the characters' world and villians.
that's the D&D based comedy adventure called Slayers. A treasure hungry sorceress,
chilvarous but dumb mercenary, enthusastic and justice-lioving priestess, and
"heartless sorcerer-swordsman" who is also a chimera make a very funny
band of characters to see travelling around. Throw in a self-claimed mysterious
priest, a revenge-obsessed princess, or a dragon disguised as a human priestess,
and you're building your recipe for funny. This is what I'm hoping to aim for! Only
time will tell if I make it. :) And
now for some
Thanks
I would like
to thank everyone that contributed to characters and concepts:
Ash - For Sparkie,
the fabulous website layout, and all of the art and writing encouragement over
the years!
Wyndi - For Allura, and your beautiful smile and rainbows! (Makes
me smile.)
Kimmy - For, like, magic, a uniquie way of talking, and incessant
chatter of the amusing kind!
Ryan - For POWER! And all the writing help.
Geri
- Forever a sounding board. ^_-
Jamie - For being such a pain in the ass when
I tried using ninjas. And rekindling my inspiration.
Sean - For inadvertantly
giving me a villian.
And always, My husband JJ - For Lugnut, constant support
and input, his endless source of humorous ideas that I can't quite keep up with,
and the willingness to counter my bad jokes with his own. Updated
5/19/2006 |
