The Product

     This is a solo-developed and self-published comic that will span over 2-3 volumes with the possibility of continuation should the project receive appropriate support. Total length of the finished story will likely span over 10+ volumes. The comic will be available physically and for digital download, distributed through Amazon and other digital distributors. Each volume will contain 150-200 pages, both as digital files and in paperback book form.

Story

     The story revolves around a small group of young adults living in a cyberpunk "utopia". The government is run by a handful of large corporations. “X-ON”, the leading developer and distributor of cybernetics and human-robot interfaces, has gained control of the megalopolis where our group of main characters resides. X-ON has established military presence and police enforcement throughout the area.

     Unbeknownst to the major population, X-ON has been developing a hyper-realistic android, Homo Syntheticus. These androids, or "synths" have been disbursed into the general population as part of a largescale testing operation to monitor their abilities to function as normal humans. These androids are given synthetic memories, jobs, backgrounds, homes, etc. If you asked a "synth" if they were human or robot, they would not be capable of determining that themself.

     Our group of main characters, a found-family team of young adults from all walks of life, is led by a frustrated 24-year-old named Kiran. If there was anything Kiran hated more than local government, it was the infiltration of tech and AI into every aspect of human life. It’s in buildings, cars, food, medicine, and even implanted into human bodies. Kiran and his crew are in for a rude awakening when they discover that one of them, is fully synthetic.

     The story begins in the mundane lives of four outcasts. Sharing their living space with each other to save on exorbitant living costs in the inner city. One of the members, 22-year-old Xora, discovers a weird mark on her head that resembles the logo of the megacorporation, X-ON. The troop uses insider information from one of the other members, Lilly, and he tie as a data-scientist at the all-powerful company. Unsettled by why the logo of a dubious-at-best company would be on the skin of their friend, the group decides to sneak into an X-ON research facility to discover the truth behind the weird mark. What they find in that lab is anything but what they expected. Deconstructed humans… or things that look like humans, are scattered across the building. What were these things? Why was X-ON making them? And why do they bear the same mark as Xora?

Characters

     The story revolves around the four main characters listed below, with few non-permanent side characters.

Main Cast

• Kiran : 24 - He/Him. An ex-foster kid who has grown up in an increasingly digital world. His motivations lie in dismantling corporate control and finding out the reason for his parent’s (famous climate advocates) deaths. The story is told from Kiran's perspective, and he acts as the main protagonist.
• Xora : 22 - She/They. Grew up in a small family on the outskirts of the city. Moved to the inner city to find work but has struggled with getter her foot in the door. Motivated to change the structures of politics and government affairs from the inside, for the betterment of society.
• Ryuu : 23 - They/Them. A rambunctious college dropout, trying to make it big in the world of robotics and mechanics. Has no other motivations other than to get rich and get freedom.
• Lilly : 26 - She/Her. A college graduate who lost her job as a data scientist within X-ON after voicing concerns over employee work conditions. Being let go from her first job out of college has put her into an undesirable position as a job candidate. Resigning to a new career goal, her motivations lie in wanting better work and living conditions for workers within the city’s large corporations and manufacturing plants.

Relevant Organizations and Antagonists

• X-OM : X-ON Military stationed in and around the city. Serves as security for company assets. Which, to X-ON, includes the entire city.
• X-OP : X-ON Police meant to serve and protect the people. However, has only managed to serve and protect themselves and the corporate policy for the past 15 years.

Setting/Environment

     The story is set in a large megalopolis in a world that mirrors our own. Inspired by US government and cultures, influenced by other global leaders. The city is very diverse, and many languages are spoken in the area. It is a melting pot of culture, cuisine, language, and religion. Technology rules overall and society would collapse ate even the smallest crack in digital infrastructure. Cyberpunk, pre-apocalyptic, and futuristic sci-fi are terms that could be applied to the setting. Our main characters reside in a central part of the city, just outside of the slums. Large corporate buildings and skyscrapers can be seen clustered together in the city. Sprawling factories and manufacturing plants surround the outskirts of the area.

     The local government is unofficially controlled by corporations and investors. Use of the word "oligarchy" can put you in prison. Technology and AI were welcomed with open arms at their births and implemented into every facet of human life. However, some question whether the convenience of tech is worth the increasing lack of privacy and freedom.

Style and Inspiration

     The visual art style in terms of inking and realism is heavily inspired by Japanese manga artists such as Tsugumi Ohba, creator of Deathnote and Takehiko Inoue, creator of Vagabond. The colors, textures, and mood is influenced by artists such as Akahiko Yoshida, artist for Final Fantasy; Tetsuya Nomura, artist for Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts; and Yoji Shinkawa, artist for Metal Gear.

     Films such as Tron: Legacy, Bladerunner, Bladerunner 2049, Ready Player One, and Ghost in the Shell (1995) are all also inspirations in terms of visuals and aesthetics.

     Much of the story draws obvious parallels to modern day concerns on government, technology, AI, the internet, and humanity. Our world is rich with diverse opinions on many of these subject matters and this fictional world reflects that. Some of the narrative inspirations for these story also include Bladerunner, Tron: Legacy, The Hunger Games, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

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Budget

     This project will be created independently and through myself as a solo artist and writer. This will tremendously cut cost and eliminate the need for contract work and outsourcing. However, I do expect expenses to arise, both due to required creator expenses and project needs.

Costs of Software:

• 2-year Adobe membership (at student pricing) - $480. For use of digital software to edit and layout the comic.
• Clip Studio Paint EX perpetual license - $237 (The pro version does not have multipage features, which is needed for a comic). For use of digital drawing software to create and illustrate the comic.
• 2-year Microsoft 365 Personal membership - $140. For use of software to write and organize ideas, scripts, outlines, etc.

Costs of Marketing:

• Social media - $1,000. This will be spread across multiple sites such as Instagram, Twitter, and sponsored listings on Amazon. As an example, a post about the comic can be pushed to ~1500 Instagram users a day for ~$25 daily.
• Physical marketing - $1,600 This will be used for tabling at conventions such as Megacon Orlando. Tables in the artist alley start at ~$500.

Costs of Production:

     Physical production and distribution will be done for free though Amazon's self-publishing and digitally through other digital distribution sites. These sites have minimal fees and differing royalties depending on regional markets. A breakdown of this is shown below under “Pricing, Revenue, and Distribution”. There is a possibility to later find a traditional publisher to bring the comic to bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, if demand is high enough.

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Pricing, Revenue, and Distribution

     Amazon will be utilized for their self-publishing services and distributed through their digital storefront. Limited physical copies may be purchased in person at comic conventions.

     Each physical volume will be priced at $12.99, a moderate price on the mid-lower end of the average for commercial comics and manga of the same length. Digital volumes will be priced cheaper at half the price of physical for $5.99.

     Physical distribution will be available internationally and rely on Amazon delivery services, purchased through their storefront.

     Based on Amazon's Costs and Royalty Calculator, each physical book will bring a profit of $4.39 at a royalty rate of 60%.

     To keep the prices of the digital ebook versions low and within market average, those may be distributed internationally via other digital distributors such as Itch.io, Patreon, Ko-Fi, Gumroad, etc. These sites have minimal fees and allow for greater royalty percentages. Due to comics generally having larger file sizes, Amazon is not a financially feasible option for digital distribution due to delivery fees per MB.

Amazon’s Pricing breakdown for Physical Publications:

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Development

     Photoshop will be used for editing, color adjustments, and digital effects. This software is the industry standard for digital art and photo editing. InDesign will be used for typography and layout. This software is the industry standard for print layout, design, and working with large amounts of text. Clip Studio will be used for the actual drawing, coloring, and inking of the comic. This software is specially designed for working with multipage documents with settings and tools created for comic artists.

     This project will be developed entirely digitally, forgoing traditional pencils, inks, and screen-toning. This allows for greater control during editing and is more forgiving of a medium to work with. It also allows for greater control over color and vibrancy, which is essential to capturing specific moods.

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Project Timeline

     Overall, this project can be expected to be in development for ~18 months. Considering the creator's schedule, the length of the comic, time needed for writing, illustration, layout, editing, and review, the process will require a significant amount of time to ensure a quality product. If the project continues past the initial 3 planned volumes, work can be expected to be quicker with faster turnarounds for volume releases. The startup of this project will require the most amount of time and effort.

• Story Development and Outlining - 4 months
• Script Writing - 3 months
• Illustration - 6 months
• Layout, Design, and Typography - 4 months
• Editing - 3 months

     Marketing, Publication, and Distribution are continuous efforts that would continue after the initial development phases and thus are not counted within the timeline.

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About the Creator

     Chloe Smith is an Art graduate, Game Design student, and Illustrator. She has had an interest in comics since she was a child, always dreaming of one day creating her own. During her time in art school, she was given the opportunity to create a short comic over a 4-month period. That comic served as practice and motivation to develop a larger comic based on the stories she had been writing for nearly a decade. Much of her work is based on personal experiences and topics related to family history, religion, philosophy, and fantasy. She hopes that the impact of her work can affect viewers and readers the same way the media she grew up interacting with impacted her.

From the author:

     As the creator of this comic, this project is important to me because of the opportunities it provides. This is a story that I have been working on since I was a freshman in high school and has provided me a fantasy world in which to explore and develop as time passes. This project will allow me to develop my skills in illustration, character design, environment art, narrative, script writing, storyboarding, graphic design, as well as marketing and project management. This story is something that I originally came up with when I was very young and I have spent time playing with it for nearly a decade.

     I believe the themes and ideas represented in this story are relevant to our modern circumstances and related to topics which need to be addressed and represented. I want readers to be able to gain something from engaging with this comic, whether that be food-for-thought or pure entertainment.