Columns 

Kickstarter Spotlight: Past Away

By | May 14th, 2013
Posted in Columns | % Comments

“Motion comic” is a loaded term. Marvel in particular has made the storytelling form associated with lazy attempts at animation, working their motion magic on pre-existing comics. There are, however, creators out there specifically attempting to make art specifically for this medium, as opposed to reusing previously existing material that may not translate well into what is essentially an entirely different form. Christopher Middleton is one of those creators, and his Kickstarter project “Past Away” adds another variable to the equation — it’s a choose-your-own-adventure! We love choose-your-own-adventures!

I will be 100% honest: I believe that the term “motion comic” is a misnomer. Comics are, depending on who you asked, defined by how they present multiple images side-by-side. Of course, full-page splash pages complicate this matter, and the fact that “comics” have been made that consist entirely of such spreads, but let’s not get into semantics. What Middleton is presenting reminds me almost of a certain genre of video game, the visual novel, a la the Phoenix Wright or 999 games. Coincidentally, those are both games that I love. It’s an interesting style of storytelling that strikes a strange middle ground between storybooks, comics, video games, and role-playing games, only to exist on its own. It’s a unique storytelling form because it involves the “reader” in multiple ways: you ingest the story both through words and slightly animated visuals, and are involved in the direction it takes. Between these factors, the story becomes incredibly easy to digest no matter your preference of story form, and that’s solely when we’re talking the merits of the medium as opposed to the individual work itself.

Middleton’s comic combines the ever popular zombie outbreak genre with what appears to be distopic science fiction. The story seems neat enough: in a futuristic world where human interaction is limited enough that food is delivered by drone, one pizza delivery operator finds himself in a situation where he has to deliver by hand. As you can imagine, things go downhill from there. If you’re like me, though, you’re more interested in Middleton’s art. Middleton has a nice modern style going — modern not in the typical, abstract connotation, but in how he synchronizes traditional American animation stylization with a slight anime tinge, resulting in a neat look that stands out in a crowd. His backgrounds are lush and atmospheric, while he lightens up his detail in order to allow his character to breathe and move, as well as to simply stand out. In this regard, good animating, comic book-ing, and… visual novel-ing are alike, and Middleton’s finished work is sure to be a treat to behold if the examples present in his video and stills are any indication.

Unlike many of the projects we have featured in this column, Past Away does not have a physical component, and will be hosted on the web. As such, there is no real “basic” donation level like there might be in order to get the best deal on a graphic novel or somesuch. Instead, one can feel free to eye the incentives provided and their wallet in order to find the best donation level for their budget. There are a lot of different goodies available in the double-digit tiers, including a .pdf of process art, prints of various sizes, t-shirts, and more. Most interesting to me is the $36.00 tier specifically for iPad owners, which will give access to an interactive art book application. Once you break a hundred, you see options such as sketches, original backgrounds from the project, and appearances in the story of varying prominence. If you have $7,500.00 to spare, not only will you make the project meet its goal, but you will get your own entire story starring you in Middleton’s setting. I had a picture book when I was a kid where my parents paid money to fill in a blank character name with mine (I got to meet dinosaurs), but this sounds, oh, a little bit more involved than that.

The motion comic medium is slowly finding its niche, and Christopher Middleton has found an area where it might very well thrive. The project is just past the halfway point to $15,000.00, and has only ten more days to go. Pledge today so everyone can see what Middleton has in store for us.


//TAGS | Kickstarter Spotlight

Walt Richardson

Walt is a former editor for Multiversity Comics and current podcaster/ne'er-do-well. Follow him on Twitter @goodbyetoashoe... if you dare!

EMAIL | ARTICLES


  • Columns
    Kickstarter Spotlight: Control

    By | Jul 23, 2013 | Columns

    At the time of publishing this article, David Crispino and Matt Heuston’s Kickstarter project for their comic “Control” is just about 24 hours from its deadline. And, at the time of writing this article, it is only about $1,000 from making its $6,000 goal. If, by the time this goes live, “Control” has been fully […]

    MORE »
    Columns
    Kickstarter Spotlight: Monster Elementary

    By | Jul 16, 2013 | Columns

    Where do little monsters learn how to go bump in the night? Duh. Monster School. Unfortunately for Desmodus the vampire, Lukos the werewolf, Francesca the promethean, Rags the mummy, and Gilda the… Black Lagoon-ian, their school has been shut down by the FBI, and now they have to endure a true horror: human elementary school. […]

    MORE »

    -->