You: Take off that shiny, clowngirl CV avatar, what are you?
Me: Genius, playgirl, psychopath.
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So, as some of you know, I'm an author. This is fact. Technically, I'm even a professional – I've made over a hundred bucks so far on writing. Maybe not a lot, but hey, I'm starting out.
However, all of my tinkering with publishing novellas began with a much larger project – the oldest thing I've been working on that's still intact. It is, at the moment, a prose-comic-wannabe (edit: currently has scripted sections -- I have also developed more skill in scripting and will be working on reformatting the whole thing), featuring a young woman named Amy Tirouette....
Also known as Joygirl.
Yeahp, that's where the name came from. She's existed since before I was a ComicVine member. I took it so that, when her story finally got published and became a big-time comic, I'd be the first one with the handle. ^_^
But that's all backstory and nonsense that most of you likely don't much care about. The important part here is that the Joygirl character is about three years old – years of plotting, creation, writing, and editing.
Alright, so how much actual work did you get done in three years? Let's talk numbers.
I'm glad you asked, spectral italic voice. Let me check.
We're in the 110,000 words ballpark. For reference, the average smallish novel is 50-80k. 100K is respectably-sized, publishable novel. And I have a bit more than that.
Okay, I get it, you wrote a story. What do you want from me?
Goodness me, no need to be so coarse, spectral italic voice (I'll just call you Siv for short from now on, it's kind of catchy actually). What I want from you young, fresh, talented minds is artwork. I have arrived at the point in my career when I need to make something of this work. My plan is to submit it to Image Comics (reasons why in a few), and I'm not going to be able to do that with a prose story and a cute image. Let me go into some more detail.
Joygirl:
Amy Tirouette is a normal girl, more or less. She has the quirks that any normal person has that make her unique, such as the fact that she still more or less acts like a dorky college girl. She had a great job working as a security hacker at Orion Soft, she enjoys anime (even a few of the naughtier ones are a guilty pleasure), she has a collection of Luis Royo paintings, she goes for the “tall and dark” type, and she's shy.
All of that, however, began to change at a fast pace when she got into a car accident with a semi-truck on the highway. She got a great settlement out of the few injuries she sustained (mild bruises, and contact with some purple waste that burned like hell for a few days). Not a big deal.
But it turns out that Amy has always had a split personality, one she has suppressed since childhood. One that is eager to escape. As the chemicals from that accident strengthened her body, they slowly changed the pathways of her mind, altering her in a permanent way... and releasing a psychotic hedonist from the depths of her own mind. One who carries no christian name, and refers to herself simply as... Joygirl.
The above is official commissioned artwork, personally directed by me. I am open to suggestions but this is her current, official look.
The story, between dealing with heroes, villains, masterminds, and whatnot, features a constant struggle between the True Neutral Amy, trying to keep her life from falling about, and the Chaotic Neutral (bordering on Chaotic Evil) Joygirl, who wants to have fun and is willing to do anything to get it. She is, in effect, both the primary protagonist, and the primary antagonist, of the same story.
Oh hey, she also has a themesong. Almost forgot. Composed by the wonderful @feebadger.
Her powers are thus:
Enhanced strength (2-3 tons)
Enhanced speed (approx. 80-90mph.)
Enhanced reflexes/thought speed, about exactly on-par with her physical running speed.
Enhanced healing factor. This allows her to regenerate at an alarming rate (think Deadpool – she has healed from automatic weapons fire, having all of her internal organs liquified, and her head ripped in half). Unlike characters like Wolverine and Deadpool, however, excessive healing does take its toll on her. After so much punishment (e.g. Having her head destroyed repeatedly) she becomes greatly weakened. Her regeneration slows, and she won't be up to par again without a while of rest, and an even larger amount of food. She needs the nutrients to support her healing factor, and is thus a Big Eater at the best of times. If it goes several days without healing, her body will begin to break down, splitting open and starting to bleed from the inside out. As a result (as well as sadomasochistic tendencies), the Joygirl persona practices frequent self-harm. Every time she heals, scars are left behind, unless the entire limb is removed – it then grows back fresh.
Ultralibrium. This is a combination of subjective weight, and subjective gravity. She can walk on flower petals, water, the ceiling, gas particles, you name it. She is also learning how to use it more creatively in combat.
Empty Mind. The Joygirl persona “borrows” basic memories such as language and math from Amy's mind. As a result, her own mind does not have the burden of large information stores such as language. Her learning curve is incredibly short (allowing her to gain sufficient experience with multiple martial arts, as well as chemistry and demolitions, within a short time). As a result of her excessive insanity, she is also borderline-impossible to control with telepathy, drugs, or pheromones.
The Story:
There's a lot to the story. As I said, it's about novel length, and from those who have read it, once it is converted into a script it will be very, very bulky (essentially, each of my “chapters” will damn near be a story arc). I am closing in on #13 right now (and it is nearly finished), which will see the end of a massive story arc featuring the origin story of Joygirl, and a select few of her supporting cast (Suicide, Bile, and Dr. Toxic). I am also currently working on the beginnings of a “K'ryl: Origins” mini.
So, regarding its length, if you sign on we will end up having a lot to discuss. Make the entries graphic novels, split the entries into multiple issues, whatever. We can decide on that when/if you read it and sign on.
Speaking of reading it. It isn't public on any sites yet, but I have it in my laptop. PM me with your email, and I will gladly send it to you.
My plan for this was to create a very dark, realistic world, with a large amount of very dark, unrealistic characters. This is about human (or inhuman) goals in a human world, a world that just happens to be featuring a protagonist with every psychosis known to man. As such, no punches are pulled. Clothing damage happens. Beauty can be tarnished. And the heroine does not need to be a 5'9” D-cup with junk spilling out of her trunk and long, flowing locks. In fact, Joygirl may be the only superpowered adult female who is a 90-pound, horribly scarred, lesbian A-cup.
The Content:
Content is an important part of this. If you are easily offended or squeamish, stop reading right now – this pitch isn't (read: cannot be) aimed at you.
If it was a movie, it would be rated R (or possibly NC-17) for strong, sustained language; strong adult content; nudity; sexuality; strong, stylized violence; horror/gore, and psychological horror. As far as comic standards go, it would lie somewhere between Hack/Slash and Bomb Queen (hence my choice for Image as an ideal publisher – I know they can handle it. They can pick up what I'm puttin' down).
So, if you can't handle or can't portray any of that for any reason, this isn't for you. No, I can't just “tone it down” – toning it down would massively disrupt the style and mood of the story.
Side note: Amy is heterosexual (bi-curious, at times, as a result of Joygirl's influence), whereas the Joygirl persona is a lesbian. If you have problems with this, then again, this isn't your story.
The Art:
This is where you come in! Isn't that exciting?
Now, I want to say this right away, so that no misconceptions are had. I may be a beggar, but in this case I must also be a chooser. If I want to get a few pages made, pitch them to a company, and actually have a chance of being accepted, I need the artwork to be good. Thus, I must reserve the right to gracefully decline an audition, whether it's because I don't think you have what it takes, or simply because you are not the right style that I'm looking for. I'll need some bendy poses and explosive action scenes, distinct expressions and ample use of gore and abilities like Ultralibrium.
The Catch:
I'm poor.
I can try to pay you (though, as a self-respecting writer, it does irk me – I did years of work on the project for free), but it certainly won't be much. However, if you sign on with the project, and you are good, I will definitely put you on the contract and you will earn your fair share of whatever profits the story makes, until you are tired of it and feel the need to move on. I feel like that's fair – you may not. If you don't, there is little I can do to make you feel better about it. I just got the $6 footlong from Subway, and hitched a ride with someone else so that I can use the WiFi at a fast-food restaurant.
So, come one, come all, let's see what you can do. Who's interested and who's not, who thinks they have what it takes, who thinks I'm an ignorant hack. Come at me, bro.
EDITS
I am once again actively looking for an artist to take on the project who is dedicated and talented. I realize it's been a year since I made this... consider it a resurrection of sorts. So this is open for business and I am very much in need of someone to see the potential in this project. Only a pitch is necessary, not a full comic. Once that is finished, we can hopefully get ourselves a nice little contract.
Totally irrelevant little addendum that is sort of neat.
In a state of boredom some months ago, I created a list of TvTropes that are relevant to the series and its characters. Obviously, it is not complete (no TvTropes page is truly complete) but there's a good bit on there to browse.
For a family-friendly sample of writing, try checking out the Joygirl Holiday Special, posted here on CV.
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