Two former robots of ours, Budgetron (Derek Hunter) and Dr. Cyborg (Jason Young), are embarking on an online webcomic odyssey unlike any other you’ve heard of. They’re putting together a Choose Your Comic Adventure that will allow readers to determine the course of the story. There will be nothing pre-written, the comic will be drawn week to week based on reader reaction.
I’d be wary if I wasn’t intimately familiar with the work of both of these…well, I was going to say gentlemen…let’s just go with men? Humans? No… former robots.
Derek and I go way back, as he and I collaborated in ways on the Slave Labor Comics series Pirate Club. He’s since set his sights on animation and now resides in California where he works as an artist on the show Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors.
Jason and I go even further back–he’s my little brother. And I’m disappointed to report that he’s one of the funniest and most thoughtful writers I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and he’s way better at being funny than I am. You can see all of my lame attempts at humour here, and I guarantee his attempts would be better and much more elegant.
Here’s what they’re setting out to do, from their website, Choose Your Comic Adventure:
What the heck is “Choose Your Comic Adventure”, you ask? Well, it’s easy, it’s a weekly webcomic that employs the classic “Choosable Path” storytelling mechanic of many of your favorite books of yesteryear, putting the storytelling decisions in the hands of you, the reader. Each week our comic’s hero will find themselves in peril of some sort and each Thursday the readers will vote how our hero reacts!
To find out more, I decided to talk to Derek about the project:
Bryan Young: What made you want to tell a Choose Your Own Comic Adventure?
Derek Hunter: The simple answer is, I was never a big reader as a kid (outside of comic books), but I used to just POUR through those old Choose Your Own Adventure books and try to find the best endings (or worst ones) and I loved feeling like I was part of the storytelling process. I think that’s what made me read them, the feeling that I was creating these stories in a way. So I want to give that same sense of creation to a whole new group of readers.
The more complex sub-answer of my first answer comes from my love of 2 things: 1) The internet, and 2) 24 Hour Comic Book Day.
The first, because I have been a part of some amazing communities on the Internet. As a fresh-out-of-school artist in my early 20’s art forums such as Eatpoo or Led Heavy were not only places that I could share my work and get feedback, but places where I could talk about comics and movies with a large group of people just like me. I loved it. I still do, and I want to create a similar sense of community and inclusion through a comic book that not only engages the reader, but encourages them to be a part of the creative process.
The second is because I love the hectic nature of 24 hour comic book day; never knowing what the end of your story will be like as you start the first page. It’s exciting…and terrifying. And I really feel like some of my best work has come from those times where I trust my first instinct and try not to analyze it or overwork it, and in a comic like this, where the story is voted on each week, I don’t have time to overthink things, I just gotta think of the funniest or most exciting thing I can think of, trust it’s a good idea and draw!
BY: What will the schedule be?
DH: We will be posting a new comic page 2 days a week, Tuesday and Thursday. And every Thursday the readers will get to vote on where the story goes next.
BY: What made you decide to collaborate with Jason?
DH: We actually collaborated five or so years ago on a Pirate Club comic [editors note: The Legend of Bluedick’s Ghost might be one of the funniest Pirate Club stories ever written] and our brainstorming sessions were really quick and natural. And while I usually write most of my own comics, I’ve always thought Jason was one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and once I moved away from Salt Lake City I realized I needed to create an excuse to talk to him every week. The comic was that excuse.
BY: Will these stories appear in print at some point?
DH: Yes, we’re hoping to wrap up this first story in a year and collect it in a book via kickstarter or a similar pre-order/crowd funding service. And if the project gets enough interest, we’d really like to go back and write/draw a bunch of the diverging paths that weren’t explored in the online comic to include in the collection. But right now we’re just focusing on making the weekly comic the best it can be.
BY: What have you learned working on Adventure Time?
DH: I’m surrounded by people of immense talent day in and day out, a simpler question would be, “What haven’t I learned?” I’m definitely learning more about storytelling than I thought I would, seeing as I’m not working directly in the story department, but as I watch the rough animatics every week I really get to soak in the story in its purest form. There is no animation, no colors, no detailed backgrounds…just story, and I’ve learned alot from watching the stripped down version of each episode. There are so many more other things, but that was the most surprising, I guess.
BY: How loosely are you guys plotting? Do you have a general series of directions to go? Or will the audience be allowed to derail it completely?
DH: It’s hard to say…we don’t even know what character this story is going to be about! We have three options for characters that we’re offering to the readers and once they pick an character to follow, I’m sure Jason and I will be doing some broad stroke plotting, but I’m really hoping the readers take full advantage of the comments section on the website, our facebook and twitter or even e-mail to derail things completely. I think we could end up in some really fun territory if Jason and myself allow it to happen.
BY: How do you think working on this will differ from Pirate Club, or Adventure Time, or other books you’ve worked on, as far as your art is concerned?
DH: I’ve learned a lot about myself and my own desires for my art over the last year or so and I think this project will be a bit more loose and energetic. When I keep things loose, I have more fun, when I’m having more fun the comics are just better, both in art and writing. I am a pretty impatient person and I need to draw fast and loose to keep myself interested when it comes to my own personal fun projects.
BY: What’s the aim? To thrill with the stories? To have fun? Simply entertain?
DH: I touched on it a little bit earlier, but it really is to build a community of sorts. To have fun, make friends, become involved in a giant online D&D campaign comic for lack of a better comparison. If I can watch the votes and the comments and the suggestions from readers roll in after Thursday’s comic and hop on Skype with Jason and giddily plan the next week’s story week in and week out, I will consider it a mission accomplished.
BY:Give us the important launch dates:
DH: OK! So, the first option for the main character is revealed on October 28th, the second option on the 29th and the third on the 30th. Once all the characters have been revealed, it’s up to the readers to decide whose adventure we follow, and on November 1st, voting will close and the first page of the comic will go live the following Tuesday, November 5th!
There you have it. Visit the website for Choose Your Comic Adventure now, sign up for the mailing list, and get to voting.