As I move towards the end of my long running webcomic, Star Trip, I find myself thinking back to the ways this story has evolved from its beginning to its end. Star Trip is a laboratory where I learned the craft of making a comic, as well as how to be flexible in my writing and art so that I could survive doing so. One thing that working on Star Trip really taught me, along with writing and drawing, is editing and how in order to write a satisfying story I would need to learn how to let certain things go. Past ideas that I thought were great no longer meshed with the type of story I was telling. What more, I needed to take my energy levels into consideration. How long could I keep working on this story? Could I finish it before I got tired and/or lost interest? The last one was an especially big question that needed a big answer. I wouldn't be able to keep working on Star Trip for another 2 or 3 or even 4 years, which was my projected end time with the old script that included Act 3. Act 3 of Star Trip was interesting to say the least. It stretched out the story line into a whole new world with a whole new set of characters and new questions that needed answers. I thought Act 3 was very cool, and I was emotionally invested in it when I thought it up a year after I started the comic. But as I got older, read more books, and got to work more in comics editorial, I saw how clinging to that story line would be both unhealthy for me and the comic as a whole. Webcomics are such a tricky and beautiful thing. They are the pulpiest of pulp media (in my opinion), allowing creators to play with ideas and storytelling structures that wouldn't normally fly in traditional print publishing. The pulp nature of webcomics is also what allows creators to construct thousand page long behemoths without any roadblocks, and this is supported by the fact that webcomics are digital publications. But for me, revelling in this pulp with Star Trip, I couldn't help but bump up against what I was becoming as a creator. In creating a pulpy story that spanned almost 1000 pages and 10 years of my short life, I couldn't keep myself from changing. I'm no longer in my early twenties, dealing with student loans and joblessness, and living with my mom. I am not the same person who started Star Trip, but I became the kind of person who could finish it. Just like how I used Star Trip as a lab to practice my comic making skills, I now want to use it to learn how to finish one. In changing I've also begun exploring the other kinds of pulp media I want to make. A long form story shared as a webcomic is fine as one path, but I now want to try others. I want to make multiple pulp stories. In particular I want to give illustrated novels a go as an alternative to this kind of long form storytelling, since it doesn't require the same level of labour a long form comic demands. I have finished shorter comics in the past, and I have even left a couple unfinished, but finishing a comic that has been a part of a third of my life definitely feels like something else. As of typing I have been approaching new ways of colouring the comic pages to make the process even faster and hopefully get back to consistent updates. I have been trying to let go of overthinking my colours and just run with it. In fact, finishing Star Trip requires that I approach it with the same mentality I did when I started it. Be free with it. Let go. Reach that ending no matter what, just like how I took my first step at the start. I had originally wanted to have this post up for the 20th of January, which is Star Trip's birthday, but I was caught up with other projects and day job work. The feeling of letting Star Trip down by not being on top of its birthday hit me like a brick to the chest, but then I took a moment to understand that this was simply the fact of my life now.
Star Trip isn't, nor has really been, the core aspect of my life. I have always had other projects going on, Star Trip just happened to be my longest one. Missing its birthday by a day or two isn't a problem, and regardless I will always remember that I posted my first page of this comic on that fateful day in winter. I will have so many other first pages for other stories posted on other days of the year. Happy Birthday, Star Trip. Hopefully this will be your last.
10 Comments
Winter
1/22/2022 13:14:02
Gisele! What a beautiful post to read about Star Trip. There's nothing quite like finishing such a long-form story and I am extremely proud of and extremely happy for you that you are looking towards the end of it. Its always a bit bittersweet but so nice to look back on fondly in the rearview <3 You got this bestie!!
Reply
Meg
1/23/2022 12:23:55
I am so proud of you and the work you've done on Star Trip! This is a beautiful retrospective, and I loved reading about how you've grown through the creation of the comic.
Reply
It takes courage, maturity and trust to let go of the beautiful things you have created. I marvel at how your art work and story telling have evolved over the decades. Best wishes as you go through the final phases. Remember to take time to celebrate the small victories. <3
Reply
Name
1/25/2022 12:40:20
I'm so happy to hear how this journey has been for you. Webcomics are interesting but the stories behind them are even more interesting. Please dont be afraid to let things off your chest. Im glad that youve found a way to let go
Reply
Elemei
2/5/2022 12:27:39
I really enjoyed reading this retrospective on Star Trip and wish you the best on finishing your journey with it!
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Author
Hello, my name is Gisele! I'm a cartoonist, editor, and writer living on the cold shoulder of Canada. You can support me and my work through Patreon. Archives
October 2022
Categories
All
Newsletter updates currently on pause since the Weebly promotion package costs extra.
|