SUPER TOMAGO #5: AI and Comics
After a longer-than-expected hiatus, I've finally managed to carve out some dedicated time for Lancer. Last time, I shared my progress and mentioned being somewhat satisfied with the outline. However, there was a minor hiccup—I needed to change the name since there's already a mech property with the same title. Instead of starting from scratch, I decided to get creative by attaching a bunch of vaguely nonsensical yet oddly intriguing words to the title. Here are a couple that caught my attention:
- Armageddon Attack Suit: Lancer
- Armored Extinction Engine: Lancer
They may sound a bit awkward, but hey, it's a step in the right direction!
Now, let's talk about the outline. After consulting with my editor, we both agreed that the concept and overall direction of Lancer are incredibly exciting, making it a potential kick-ass comic series. However, the current structure was a bit slow-burning for our taste. We needed to inject some excitement into the very first issue.
Revising an already functioning outline can be both challenging and, let's be honest, a bit boring to discuss. There's no secret trick to it. You simply have to dismantle the pieces of your story, lay them out in front of you, and reassemble them in a fresh and original way. But here's the catch—self-restraint is key. It's all too tempting to take the idea on a wild rollercoaster ride, only to find yourself right back where you started, needing yet another round of revisions.
For Lancer, I took some steps to simplify the cast of characters by half, shuffled key characters around, introduced new locales, and rearranged the order of important events. And here's the twist: while working on the outline, a subtle but intriguing change or addition emerged—the theme of transhumanism. While war and refugees remain central to the story, unexpected threads exploring the realm of transhumanism began to weave themselves into the narrative.