Strip Jam Official Discussion Thread

[ScottEwen]

I don't know, man, I'm really interested in where the story is going. That's what's so great about doing a long-form strip jam like this. The shorter ones are great for random jokes, since the whole point is basically to make each other laugh, but this long one has an actual story in it that I'm interested in following. I wanna know what the Major's plan is. I wanna know how he's going to travel back in time and what he'll do when he gets there. Doing stuff like having one character kill another character for no reason may be random, but it's not very funny and hurts the story.

This is why I'm really looking forward to the Webcomic Jam. I for one will be emphasizing furthering the story rather than random jokes. If a joke is funny and throws a wrench into the story in a clever way, I'm all for it, but derailing the story just for randomness's sake is frustrating for the other people involved in the jam.

[Wild&Uncouth]

NickGuy,

To add to what Scott has said, the randomness factor is not going away in the StripJam. I enjoy random things happening to the characters. A lot of times the only things that CAN HAPPEN are random things to get the next artist out of a pinch. Random characters show up and contribute to the story. Random people sign up to participate. This whole thing is really random.

Here's a list of what I consider to be the random things that have happened since the last time you posted a panel-
1. Vegeta shows up
2. The Major has some giant baby in his stomach
3. Bowser smoking a cigarette
4. Han Solo shows up
5. Samus shows up
6. Maurice from the Steve Miller song "The Joker" shows up

6 random things.
9 panels.

If we jump back 4 panels to your second to last post-
1. The Major knows Dragonball moves
2. Anakin and Obi Wan show up
3. A Wu-Tang samurai shows up out of nowhere and kills the Star King, ending a plotline with a lot of promise, but 'C'est la vie.'

3 more random things.
4 panels.

So for the past 13 panels 9 random things have happened.
70% RANDOM.
30% story structure.

That is more than an adequate amount of zaniness, imo.
Random things happen in stories all the time, while contributing to the overall story arc.
The StripJam's tapestry is being woven in multiple directions. The journey is the fun part. No one here is concerned with getting to the END of the story. It's a Never-Ending StripJam, luck dragons and all.

I don't feel like I ask for much-
SOME characters get to move forward with some semblance of purpose.
Some characters' lives and deaths get to have meaning.
Some characters do not get killed without a good reason.

This is coming from me, the guy who has killed off the most characters in one panel in the history of the StripJam. It just wasn't random when I did it. It was a long time coming, and it was pretty satisfying. People watched that bomb coming down over a number of panels. Someone could have stopped it. No one did. It's one of my favorite moments in the StripJam so far. It also opened up the floodgates for all sorts of new possibilities.
The sky's the limit!

Anyway.

This project thrives on randomness.
Introducing and killing pop culture icons over and over again isn't random.
It's predictable.

[ScottEwen]

3. A Wu-Tang samurai shows up out of nowhere and kills the Star King, ending a plotline with a lot of promise, but 'C'est la vie.

Ah, but have you seen the latest panel? Taro Mochi just undid that one.

[Wild&Uncouth]

Taro Mochi just undid that one.

That is so AWESOME!

For that list though I was counting the randomness as stand alone, before the next panel put it into context.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have counted the Major being pregnant, because I explained that with my next panel.

Way to go, Taro Mochi! That is awesome.

[Taro Mochi]

I brought him back!! but in tiny form!! Always liked godwin's design of the character when he introduced him way back when

[ScottEwen]

Okay, I've put up my panel. Hopefully this moves the story along because I really want to find out what's gonna happen.

Spidey, what's going on with your thumbnail for the webcomic jam? It's past deadline at this point, and I hate to skip you because I'd prefer you go first rather than me, but I'll do the first panel if necessary.

[Wild&Uncouth]

Great panel, Scott!

I really like how you married the hallway established by VIM22 with the door to Docking Bay C from my panel.

I also really like how you made Spike the currently dead Space Cowboy, and how Samus feels like going to the Star Fortress Cafeteria for a tea.

Before I settled on my 'ZORP!' set-up panel, I was exploring story options and was doing all sorts of weird rationalizing, playing with the elements of colesla's panel. I had to google some things before I found out 'The Joker' reference, I had already thought up a cowboy bebop reference, and was playing around with the idea that Samus Aran was really Samus (L)Aran (alternate future spelling of Lauren), reuniting her with The Major (seeing as how her soul wasn't in the briefcase).

But I decided that was too complex, and realized my mission for my panel was to get The Major to the Star Fortress, seeing as the story was implying he was there, but he wasn't yet. So all that crap got put back into the Idea Machine.

Nice set up with Han Solo, The Major, and the fact that they have to go by the thrown room to get to where they need to be!

I can't wait to see what's in store for them.

[VicM]

Nice job putting that together Scott! Lots and lots 'o word balloons!

Wild and Uncouth - Good point on paying attention in the actual thread! The hatch isn't in the Star Fortress??? DUH!! Next time... Next time.

[ScottEwen]

I had to google some things before I found out 'The Joker' reference

Oh man I didn't even get that! I could have had it be JokerSnake if I'd known. Ah well, what's done is done. Also, if I'm not mistaken, JokerSnake's soul is still in a test tube around the Major's waist.

Also, just wanted to point out that I worked in references to both the Special Edition of Star Wars, and the new Star Trek movie into my panel as well. I rule.

[Wild&Uncouth]

@VIM22-
No worries, mate!
If you hadn't drawn what you drew, The Major might still be sitting in the Hatch doing whatever.

You're 'mistake' (and I say that VERY loosely, because like I said, it was not a big deal), was good motivation to cut through a lot of potential b.s. and get The Major to the Star Fortress in a hurry.

@SCOTT-
I just got your "I always shoot first" reference. Sometimes shit goes right over my head. Pretty funny.