Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The History of Champion City Comics - Part VI - ...And We Formed A Band

This is the first Champion City Comics project that was - and still is - trapped in development hell. Creators of comic books and webcomics all have special projects that seem destined for greatness, but they somehow never blossomed. ..And We Formed A Band was my first of many development hell projects.

Writers are told to write what they know, and I know a thing or two about rock and roll and forming bands. Music has been a part of my life since I was a kid, and a goal I set for myself in college was to form a band. There were some unsuccessful attempts, but I finally struck gold following graduation and successfully formed a band. We were together for about a year and half. I had to quit the band when I was hired for a job in another state.

...And We Formed A Band was my first attempt at doing a webcomics project that didn't involve crime noir or science fiction. It was a story about two friends that attempt to fulfill their dreams of starting a band, but there are a series of ups and downs involving an overly energetic 80's cover band drummer, psychotic ex-girlfriends, an annoying techno band, and a crazy ex-Vietnam vet who thinks he's the second coming of Jimi Hendrix.

I started writing the story sometime during 2010 when I was introduced via email to an artist named Christopher Alvarez. Christopher sent me a link to his artwork and I noticed this piece he completed of a rock band, which instantly gave me the creative spark to begin ...And We Formed A Band. We worked on the basic premise of the story and I sent him a few script pages for his comments and suggestions. Christopher sent me four pages that he penciled, inked, and lettered. I've embedded those pages below for your to read. Personally, I think he did a great job with the art and it would have been wise if I found someone to do digital lettering.

...And We Formed A Band only had four completed pages, plus we didn't even have a cover created for the project. I decided to post the pages to Champion City Comics to see what the reaction would be from readers, and it earned some nice stats when it debuted in 2010. After it debuted, ...And We Formed A Band went straight to development hell.

Some projects are meant to be and others fall apart due to a variety of reasons. Work schedules and other commitments couldn't keep ...And We Formed A Band going, but it is one of those projects that I have tried time and time again to raise from the dead with no no success.


Tony Wright is the owner of Champion City Comics. Follow him on Twitter @TonyDougWright.


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COMICS FROM THE EDGE: LAWYER UP

click image to enlarge Comic by Bob Toben Originally published April 30, 2013