Setting the Stage for the Conflict

Rohit p -

So, we’re now at the halfway mark in this 10-week project. This week I’ve progressed through more of the storyboard for the second chapter. And as a source of reference (as well as entertainment), I’ve been reading more Japanese manga, especially action-packed stories like Sakamoto Days and One Piece. My storyboard for Chapter 2 is going well, and with the profiles I introduced last week, I can incorporate new character roles and personalities for this part of the story. Along with the characters, I’ve been working on creating the background and environment behind the figures. 

While working on my drawings, I’ve been also reading Story Genius, which Ms. Cave had given me at the beginning of the project. Fortunately, it’s not at all as complicated to understand as Shakespeare or as confusing as some of the novels I’ve read in school; rather, it’s straightforward and gives simple examples to understand how stories and narratives are built with external and internal conflict, character development, and atmosphere. Even though Story Genius isn’t directly useful in creating a comic book, the narrative structure in a regular novel is very much similar. With this book, it made me realize how to set up an external conflict that creates the main premise of the story while also resembling a hidden internal conflict within my protagonist’s life.

This week I have to ink this chapter to get the final set of pages for its release. Once that’s over, Chapter 2 of the story will be out for everyone to read.

One of the backgrounds in Chapter 2
Story Genius by Lisa Cron

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Comments:

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    jacob_p
    I'm so excited to read chapter 2 soon, Rohit! I can't help but wonder about the major themes you are going to address in your story. Will you be addressing darker themes like depression and death or more uplifting themes like friendship and hard work? It'd be awesome to see a variety of themes but that is very hard to pull off. Wishing you the best of luck for your inking and getting inspiration for drawing!
    March 26, 2025 at 11:19 am - Reply
    dina_i
    Rohit, it’s really cool how you’re blending manga influences with structured storytelling techniques from Story Genius! The way external and internal conflicts shape the narrative sounds super compelling. Now that you're at the halfway mark of your project and as you move into inking this chapter, what part of the process do you find the most challenging?
    March 26, 2025 at 12:11 pm - Reply
    rohit_p
    That's a pretty good question @jacob_p. I did think about a variety of themes that I wanted to include from the top of my head a while ago, but I figured if I wanted a few central themes to go off of I should probably filter them a bit. There will be more uplifting themes, but the plot will include a mix of both uplifting and darker scenes. And as I thought about adding these themes, I also wanted to make them less obvious and not as if I'm explicitly throwing them out to the audience (like "This is theme X"). But it is difficult to place the right scene, setting, conflict, dialogue lines, etc, for highlighting these themes.
    March 26, 2025 at 4:17 pm - Reply
    meggiles
    Rohit, I love that image. I also loved the discussion we had this week when meeting with Cave, about how one artistic decision just invites many others. I'm really eager to see how much you are able to accomplish this week (as inspired by the weekly publications some of your heroes create). I can't wait to see!
    March 26, 2025 at 4:26 pm - Reply
    ashwyn_k
    Hey, Rohit! I am loving your project as always. I think it's great that you're reading manga series' to get inspiration and keep yourself in that comic book-like mindset! Quick question, what specific things from Sakamoto Days and One Piece do you find yourself taking inspiration from? Is there anything recently that you've discovered in either series, or maybe another series, that you've thought of implementing in your own comic?
    March 26, 2025 at 4:53 pm - Reply
    rohit_p
    @dina_i So far the hardest part is the inking phase. After all, I am tracing my lines in ink (which I can't change afterwards on paper). If I still did this digitally, it wouldn't be as much of a concern. But I'm much more comfortable drawing on paper.
    March 27, 2025 at 1:59 pm - Reply

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