I got some more questions via facebook message and YouTube Comments that I felt others might find interesting. You can see my Last Q&A Session at
jasonloveslife.com/kickstarter-madman-of-magic
Question
How much would it cost to make the comic book in total.
Answer
It is a hard question to answer.
Easily $2,000. According to my research. A starting comic book writer would get paid $1800 and the artist around $2500 (I can find my references on this, but that is what I found online). So for a company hiring people to make the comic book it would be $4,300 (not including a colorist) plus publishing costs, marketing, fixed costs, etc. etc. For us to do it, the biggest cost is our time. For those using kickstarter you have to include Kickstarters 5%, Amazon’s 5%, cost to create rewards, postage, and other costs that pop up.
Not sure if this is what you meant, but I hope it helps.
Question
I love the project, but I am broke and can’t afford to back it.
Answer
I know that really isn’t a question, but I understand being broke. You can, however, help by sharing the project with your friends, posting a link to the website (www.madmanofmagic.com) on your facebook page, twitter account, google+, MySpace (like 10 years ago), or any other social media sites.
Question
How much of the comic book did you have done before launching the Kickstarter campaign?
Answer
We were about 1/2 way done, but we went back and made some adjustments on the story that has forced us to take longer than originally scheduled. The benefit of being over half way done is people feel they are helping and not paying for the whole thing. I was able to show perspective backers that I was deeply invested and so they didn’t mind helping. Backers think “If a project creator has nothing invested then why should I help”…. A fair question.
Question
Is the story meant to tell a character’s story, with the setting as an appropriate backdrop, or is the setting the focus and the characters’ stories secondary.
Answer
My focus will be on the character’s struggle with the setting as an appropriate backdrop. The best example I can think of is in Star Wars: The New Hope, Luke Skywalker is thrown into becoming a hero. In fact he says to Obi Wan that he can’t go fight the empire because he needs to help his uncle. Then his Uncle dies and he is thrown into an adventure that creates him into a hero.
This is, in a way, what I want with the Madman character. He keeps saying, I am not a hero I am just a dude trying to survive, but he ends up in a situation where he keeps having to do heroic things. It is in his nature even if he doesn’t see it in himself.
I am actually rewriting a lot of it because the current version is very linear in its timeline and glosses over a lot, but I am thinking it might be more appealing to readers to continue to learn about the environment as the series progresses. This is still up in the air because I have to make sure that I complete a story arch while leaving a cliff hanger at the end for people to want to read the next one.
As far as the mini comic. My thoughts on that is to focus on the “bad guys” and why people are motivated to do things. I want to follow a character that is perceived as bad (the police enforcer) and show that he is not evil. Instead he is a man with different goals, priorities, etc,etc (I am trying not to give too much away).
I can give an example of this. In the x-men film series we see Magneto as a boy in a Nazi concentration camps. This shows his history and helps the viewers realize he is not a bad man. He just believes that when one group of humans fear, hate, or despises another group of humans, there is no way they can exist together. He believes this because he has lived through it and their are humans that want to imprison the mutants in that world. So, Magneto feels the only logical option is to defeat the humans first.
To him and those that follow him, he is a hero and not the villain.
Question
The story is in the future. I was wondering did you have a scenario in the future and then write a fictional history, or did you start with the history and have the story evolve into the setting for madman? I ask this because present trends might make government contracting security forces less unrealistic than the concept seems.
Answer
I did start with the history and have the story evolve into the setting for madman? I think people can be convinced of anything in the right circumstances. There are currently people who believe the fire department should be privatized, trash collection, schools, etc. I also want people to know that I am not saying I believe these things should not or should be privatized. My hope is to promote the fact that there is a balance which we all need to be aware of.
Last Words
Thanks for the questions. They really help me think through the plot and make sure that my story is rock solid. Feel free to leave any additional questions in the comment section.
