Open Projects Forum Discussion

[penciljack]

Highly, highly doubtful we'll ever be working out any sort of deals with Wizard. Sorry.

I appreciate the ideas, though!

[foxmerquise8]

As a former jam organizer I have this to say;

Jams already complex enough, no reason to go all out on publishing. I like the idea of deadlines, but who will enforce them? It was easily organizing things, the hard part was getting people to meet deadlines. I was giving people more then 2 weeks to do things like character sketches and they still they didn't get it done. Sometimes it would get to the point that I had to track people down just to ask them if they couldn't do it. Some said they forgot!

Seriously, we should close this forum down if we can't do it in under 2 or 3 monthes max. Some people can do an whole comic by themselves in that time. If the jam is not around the top of your to-do list then you shouldn't do it.

Its no point starting another if only 4 people are going to go to the end with it.

[penciljack]

Well, fox, I must say it seems to me that you yourself semi-disappeared in the midst of one of the jams you started. I'm not trying to point fingers necessarily, but I think, given that, you can understand how it is that life can get in the way of things like this. Right?

The trick is going to be finding a method of doing these projects that is still fun and yet still motivates folks to finish. I'm working on some ways to do that. I have some ideas, and as Xadrian and I are able to get to it, we'll be instituting some of those ideas.

[foxmerquise8]

I was watching most of the time, but posting "Hello anyone there" every week like I was doing for 4 monthes was not working. So I just waited.

I tried contacting people and recruiting new people, but most of those conversations went no where. It was nothing much more I could do, and I don't have to miss until the project is done. I went on vacation hoping someone would finish one of the pages and I could put it all together.

Anyway, my point is the people that want to finish it are left on an island alone towards the end and their should be a way to prevent that.

[penciljack]

Well, fox, therein lies the problem. On the one hand, the only way people will sign up is if these things are fun. On the other hand, it seems like the work isn't getting finished without someone being a taskmaster, and that's not fun for anybody.

My suspicion is the subject matter will have a lot to do with the signups, but it's just a fact of life that some folks aren't going to finish their commitment to these projects, and for various and sundry reasons. I myself had to drop out of the Hellboy project that happened a while back, even though I LOVE Hellboy, and I really wanted to work on it. Stuff just happens.

If it's to the point where we're forced to try to "prevent" people from bowing out (which is impossible anyway), then I don't think this forum is serving any real purpose. I want to try to defibrillate it before we give up on it, though.

[foxmerquise8]

If it's to the point where we're forced to try to "prevent" people from bowing out (which is impossible anyway), then I don't think this forum is serving any real purpose

Thats what I'm saying.

[penciljack]

I guess I have to wonder why you're hanging around, then? I'm not interested in just hearing complaints, fox. If this forum serves no purpose for you, then I guess that's that.

I'm interested in trying some more jams before I give up on it. I gotta tell you, I think one of the big problems has been that the last couple of jams have been so unconventional.

There's really no reason, for example, to completely design and revamp characters for every jam, especially when you move the characters FAR away from their original incarnations (for instance, a Ghost Rider character that ... doesn't ride anything?).

Looking back, it seems to me a lot of effort was wasted (and a lot of momentum was spent) in the design process. I think if we rely on established characters, for example, we'll have better luck.

I think we'll also be going with smaller page counts and self-contained stories. Again, I have ideas about how I'd like some of this to work, and I'll get to them. But I don't think this forum is a) dead and b) without purpose, just yet.

[foxmerquise8]

I'm not complaining, I'm just pointing out the problems so you can fix it. I had fun with the jam, I would like to be involved with another jam in someway. I'm echoing your same thoughts. I think I would be of some help since I was seeing how everything was unfolding, I'm not trying to be bitter or mean.

[penciljack]

I must apologize, then, because I must've misunderstood your intent. The point I was making, which I think needs fleshing out by all involved, is that we need to find a way so that these things can be fun AND punctual. Ideas to that end are more than welcomed.

[foxmerquise8]

Agreed.

I'm done.