DystoPunks Comics by ENCODE Graphics
It’s been a long wait but we are very happy that the second Comic has been released! Below you will find an article written by ENCODE GRAPHICS where they tell us all the experience that has been creating it. The DystoPunks Comics finally have their own platform and you can read all comics here: https://www.encode.graphics/wiz
A Short Preface of Apology
Dear DystoPunks Community,
It seemed to be a bit quiet around ENCODE Graphics especially lately and even though we had to deal with some technical problems in the last months and are still facing a few hurdles, we are working with full commitment to overcome them.
Since especially from the DystoPunks community some of you support ENCODE Graphics and its vision, I would like to personally apologize for this and at the same time hope that you can keep the faith in this project.
We have dedicated a lot of love and passion especially to the DystoPunks comic and it is a great concern for me personally to continue to live up to the standards I have set and to provide you with “WIZ” a wonderfully staged comic adventure that revolves around the characters Wiz, Raiden and Nathaniel and always brings in new characters based on different DystoPunks.
Below I’d like to give you a deeper look into the project as well as the general process of creating a comic. The new issue, WIZ #2, is out now and is free for the entire DystoPunks community to read. Holders of ENCODE Founder KEYS can claim it as an NFT on our ENCODE NETWORK. To do so, visit our newly designed NFT platform https://encode.network/
Creation Phase of WIZ
When I started working on the DystoPunks comic and talked about it more and more with Dekadente, I had only a few basic conditions. The comic was to be set in the future, be dystopian, and have only 2077 survivors as a result of a catastrophe of global proportions. I basically had a tremendous amount of freedom in the design.
After some deliberation, I came to the decision to focus the story initially on a major city, which I named Greystone City. Amidst the ruins of this city, there should be various enclaves… The Birdhouse… The Savage Districts… Death Island… The Tritowers. For the survivors, life just went on, even if this life has a rough touch and the comfort of the past is only in the memory of the old.
The basic question was: What actually happened that led to the catastrophe?
In this phase of development, I read more and more articles about artificial intelligence and found the introduction of this element appealing, even if this subject may seem a bit hackneyed… as well as the introduction of a large corporation that wants to establish itself globally in a monopolistic manner. De facto, however, these subjects are more than explosive in real life, and I decided that these components were the best starting point for this dystopian scenario. Especially because the DystoPunks Collection has some components that relate to this in the best way.
However, these are only the framework we see at the moment and it seems everything is still open, which is why the intro of the comic says… “the truth, however, lies in the shadows.”
I decided below to split the overall story into probably 2 parts, both covering 3 issues. I have to leave the reasons for this in the dark at this point and this can definitely still change and be expanded with a third arc.
The first arc is already in 3 finished scripts and the basic idea of the overall story has already been worked out. The general world-building can really be seen in my opinion and was nicely staged in the first issue of WIZ… as well as the introduction of some essential characters and the formation of the prelude for the actual adventure.
The Process of Comic Creation
As we have already read, one of the first essential steps is the elaboration of the actual world and its framework. Furthermore, and closely related to that, follows an elaboration of different characters with their peculiarities and the elaboration of a red thread of the story with different twists and turns.
World-Building, characters and basic story are summarized in detail in a document that I call a framework dossier.
Building on this framework dossier, the actual creation of the script follows. A cliffhanger at the end of an issue is crucial here, because after all, the first rule of comics is: comics have to be entertaining! And for that, you need wit and, above all, suspense!
The writer takes the basic story and puts it into a form that lives up to this first rule, while also showing the characters in their own way. The output is the Script.
After the script is completed, it is given to the illustrator, who first draws the individual pages in black and white… the Drawings. Normally the draftsmen execute a script beautifully and no changes are needed. Sometimes, however, minor changes are necessary. At least, that is my experience.
After the black and white template is completed, the editor hands the collected pages to the colorist for Coloring. The output is in CMYK for physical prints and in RGB for digital outputs.
In the next step, the colored pages are provided with the speech bubbles and all necessary text modules — the so-called Lettering. Particularly for physical productions, there are framework conditions to be set here. The editor or the person who does the final layout must allow for a bleed area as well as a live area that remains intact under all circumstances, even if the printer should make a mistake. The lettering must be in the live area so that the dialogue is preserved in any case.
Once the drawings, coloring and lettering have been successfully implemented, the Final Design has to be created. The cover is set, additional texts are written and / or inserted and everything is put in order so that the reader receives a good product.
It sounds quite simple, as it is described here in this short text, but what is really behind it is an enormous process, which a team of about 5–6 people in a good cooperation must meet.
Enjoy the Read of WIZ #2
Do you still hold an ENCODE Founder CUBE? You need to burn it to get your KEY to mint the comics and participate in all other upcoming features.
Check out this article here for more info: https://www.encode.graphics/post/encode-graphics-ecosystem
