Eben07

Fantasy Story by Ming

Fantasy Story by Ming is a very new comic on the scene, but it is rapidly becoming popular because of it’s “Choose Your Own Adventure” qualities. Not to deny Ming’s clearly has a skilled hand for art and pacing a comic, but what really makes Fantasy Story fascinating is that the story is shaped by the readers of Fantasy Story.

Ming has set up his blog and a twitter system so that people can comment on prompts to help him design characters, give him ideas for back story and pretty much give him a hand creating the plot points, characters, and style of Fantasy Story.His readers are driving this comic, and that unique participation really makes his comic unique.

This webcomic espionage is a little different, we asked Ming a few question about how he does Fantasy Story and his inspiration for it:

1. How did you dream up the concept of Fantasy Story?

Fantasy Story is based on the concept of “Pulp Fiction”, not the movie, but the bezillion books of fiction sold for slightly more than the cost of the paper it’s printed on. thus the ultra genaric name ‘Fantasy Story’. The idea is not to do something different, new, etc. Instead like the pulp fiction of old it’s to explore, themes that we’ve grown so in love with. The journey, the Teacher, all of it.

The themes I’m re-exploring, are nostalgic fantasy stories of my youth, from games, books and movies.

2. Give us a run down of the behind the scenes on how you create each comic i.e. do you have a skeleton story you are working with? How do you pick prompts for your readers?

I have 2 moleskines. 1 for all the blog and production ideas. Another for all the strip ideas in sequence. I have a days strip ideas in advance. As for a skeleton story, it’s very very vague.. i know something is there, and together with the readers, we’re digging it up. We’re excavating the skeleton.

As for how I pick prompts for the readers, i try to put the reader in the P.O.V of the characters, and setting. They do the rest:)

2. How do you select what gets into the comic?

I put the best stuff in, based on what i understand of the ’skeleton’ we’re excavating. Put it this way, i don’t know what’s going to happen, i just know the character’s history, so I try to make a coherent story, with these things in mind.

3. Why is the beta colored, but the current series not colored?

The beta is coloured because the initial plan was to produce, a finished graphic novel piece by piece. Tere were problems with that. Most notably, I was the only one who knew what was going on. So I switched to a ‘newspaper strip’ format. I wanted each strip to say something on it’s own. A daily reward for reading the strip. (I’m also hoping for a long-shot at newspaper syndication) So it’s 6 B&W strips and 1 coloured ’sunday’ page. I don’t post daily, so you get 3 stips a week for 2 weeks, and a coloured page, on the third week.

4. You say this is kind of a test run for you, do you plan to keep the fantasy story characters and make it your own, or do you have a different idea you plan to bring out after Fantasy Story completes?

I do have an epic story in my head, in a different world and setting from fantasy story. In fact, it’s in a post apoclypic earth. but I know I don’t have the ability and experience, or audience, to allow me to tackle that story now. So fantasy story is my effort to gain all those things:)

5. Name a few of your favorite comics that influence you?

Bone, Amazing Spiderman by todd Mcfarlane, Blankets, I Never Liked you, Frank Miller stuff, mike Mignola stuff.

6. Are you familiar with Joseph Campbell and the Heroes Journey? If so, how do you kind of intend to bring that into your comic seeing as though your readers have a lot of control over your work?

I am familiar with, ‘the power of myth’ I have a cd collection. of which the Heroes Journey is touched on briefly. So I cannot answer your question directly, but since you touched on Joseph Campbell, please let me share a discovery. Look at the fantasy story logo. The elements there are all subconscious, I started with the logo, yet the imagery is the story. I do feel that all of us, are hearing and being part of some great myth. In Fantasy Story we are disyphering, codes and ideas that are beyond language. I’m very glad for the suggestion of introducing Paladins, because it’s an opportunity to deal with the spiritual.

Fantasy or myth allow us to look at our world and struggles and journey. With unbiased lenses.

So go visit “Ming’s Secret Blog” and get involved with Fantasy Story! It should prove to be a pretty incredible adventure!