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What is The Misadventures of Gerbil?
I love comics. I love the Internet. That??s why I decided to combine the two, and make a webcomic. That??s what The Misadventures of Gerbil is. It??s my first attempt at making comics that aren??t Disney comics. It shows. When you look at a finished page, it looks more like a Disney comic than like any other comic.

How did it get started?
It started on this forum, actually. At first, Gerbil was just an idea that was doomed to fail from the start. I abandoned the project as soon as I realized that I??d never get it done. Then this ad shows up, right on this forum. Somebody to help me? Maybe I could pull this off after all. And I did! Alone, eventually. Sim never got to do anything, which was mostly my own fault. :)

What is it about?
Well, it??s about an unfortunately-named kid called Gerbil. He moved to Ennyville this summer. So he goes to a new school. There he meets lots of gaggy characters, and does stuff. I won??t spoil too much, but there??s a superhero, a secret agent and a tourist involved. And that??s just the tip of the iceberg.

Gerbil?
Uh, yeah, it??s supposed to be ??a random collection of vowels and consonants?? but it turned out to be an actual word in English. But they??re pronounced differently. The G in gerbil is pronounced like the one in genius, the G in Gerbil is pronounced like the G in gold.

Okay?¦ why put it here?
Well, you guys know as good as any that a comic needs an audience. So in order to get an audience in the double-digits, I made this ad.

Is it any good?
Well?¦ er?¦ I have drawn some comics before, and thought of a lot, but they were all Disney comics. This is really the first time that I make a non-Disney comic. Also, it??s in newspaper strip format while I??m used to comic book format. You??ll see that in the first comic that isn??t just an illustration. I think that doesn??t make it much worse than usual, the only problem is that when it??s worked out on paper it doesn??t always translate the idea well. But it??s usually not too bad. I??ll learn.

Anyone else to back that up?
Sim should answer that question. He??s my editor. Well, he??s my guy-that-notes-if-something-goes-wrong.

So, how much of this stuff is there, exactly?
I??ve been working on the comics since I commented in that topic in March, so I had several months to work on it. But since a lot happens, the frequency that they??re published is very high. It??s every other day. Which should keep me fine until begin December. Then?¦ we??ll see when we get there. Right now, I??ve got five complete stories which is about 63 gags.

And where can this Gerbil be found?
On Webcomics Nation. Which you can find?¦ here. I??ll give you the URL when I put the first comic online, which I??ll do August 24. In the mean time, check out the Facebook page!

From what I see on facebook Grebil looks like sympathethic lad :)

Quote from user: Mr. MI my self created few scripts for a coming book long time ago (one I still consdier best thing I ever writen) however I'm far from being artisticly giften and I had hard time find a proper artis as the type of story I want to tell is something I would need a W.I.T.C.H." type of style (the story is a mix of comedy with some sad stuff)
Ah, I'm not artistically gifted either, not like some of us on this forum. But I try. :) I also have TvTropes to help me, and a lot of references to popular culture.

Quote from user: Mr. MI did some comics on the internet, but sadly this is the best I can drawn :
http://panmilus.blogspot.com/2011/07/niesmacznie-ziomalski-film.html
When I saw something written in Polish on your website, it reminded me immediately of Pat & Mat, a Czechoslovakian puppet animation series. I think it's really funny, because it was dubbed in Dutch, where it's silent in the original. That has nothing to do with your website, but I'd just mention it.

Quote from user: Mr. MFrom what I see on facebook Grebil looks like sympathethic lad :)
Well, 'generic-looking hero' is always a winning formula. Look at Tintin, or Charlie Brown, for example.

Quote from user: DebbieDrawing a webcomic can be fun, if not neccesarily easy to build an audience. I draw one myself, Fluffy and Mervin at (what else?) http://fluffyandmervin.com/
Yaah... I'm kind of a bashful guy. Doesn't help when I'm building an audience. I like your comic, your handwriting is much more readable than mine. :)

And now... a preview of what's to come! This comic is planned for November 5 or thereabouts. It's also just about the only one you'll understand without the other comics.

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5125/wc44.jpg

The songs in this comics are:
"Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah" (James Baskett, Song of the South, 1946)
"The Simple Things" (The Simple Things, 1953)
"What A Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong)

Quote from user: Mr. MI just think you have to be carefull with main hero being generic while the rest of the cast is full of "corolfull characters" as it's easy to make the main guy blant/uninterestic/unmemorable. I know so many people who read Tintin and love it but still find the main hero boring and least interesting thing about those books... I like when it's the heroes personality that drives the story.
Luckily, it's not the personalities that drive the story, it's mostly the gags. In fact, the two main character don't seem to have a character at all, which is of course Lampshaded. Things just happen to them. It's the Twilight-method: make your main character as bland as possible, and the audience will see themselves in it. I have one character getting a personality for Halloween, after which he... disappears.

Also, brevity is the soul of wit. The official catch phrase in the comic is (?).

First, let me state that every single person who sticks their neck out & submits their art to scrutiny by the public, be it amateur or professional, be it on the internet or in the real world, is deserving of the utmost respect for the sheer act of daring to expose themselves, to make themselves vulnerable to a critical audience. This goes for you, Duckfan, & also for Maciek & Debbie & David Kops & countless others on this forum & elsewhere on the web. This is audacity and I admire you people for it.
Next, I have to give you, Duckfan, kudos for the way you present & promote your comic. It's clear that you have planned this whole enterprise & you show confidence in your product & in the progress you expect to make as an artist. You are not afraid to make mistakes. If nothing else, the planning of this venture will prove a valuable lesson in itself. Here's hoping you will publish the whole run of comics & continue making them as you go along.
Now, I want to offer some suggestions. They will come over as critical & they are! But, as they say, we "ain't seen nothing yet". Keep this in mind! I don't know much about your comic & you haven't yet won me over as a fan. I'm supportive of your efforts, but at this moment, I don't like what I see ... yet. So here goes ...
1) You might want to create a different logo. The current one looks like "MIS OF". Emphasis is put on the wrong parts of the title. "Gerbil", the name of your protagonist, doesn't draw attention at all, while the irrelevant "OF" gets all of the sunshine.
2) I strongly advise you to learn to draw hands. This is difficult & in the beginning, they may look like crap. But guess what? You'll get better at it, because you keep practicing. If you keep drawing circles, you won't improve. If you must fail, at least try to fail gloriously by making an effort.
3) As you say, the bland protagonist is tried & true in comics. You want to try your hand at it? Be my guest. You should find out for yourself if & how it works. But what you don't need, is three of them. I may be mistaken, but it does seem to me that, apart from Gerbil himself, both the girl & the second guy don't have much of a personality either. Or if they do, it's not reflected in their character design. You might want to work on that. Remember, "girl" is not a personality trait!
This blogpost by John Kricfalusi might prove an inspiration for thinking up different personalities. There's lots of good cartooning advice on his blog. I wish you success!

Quote from user: Michiel PFirst, let me state that every single person who sticks their neck out & submits their art to scrutiny by the public, be it amateur or professional, be it on the internet or in the real world, is deserving of the utmost respect for the sheer act of daring to expose themselves, to make themselves vulnerable to a critical audience. This goes for you, Duckfan, & also for Maciek & Debbie & David Kops & countless others on this forum & elsewhere on the web. This is audacity and I admire you people for it.

Next, I have to give you, Duckfan, kudos for the way you present & promote your comic. It's clear that you have planned this whole enterprise & you show confidence in your product & in the progress you expect to make as an artist.
Thank you for the compliments, Michiel P! Here comes me dispromoting the comic.

Quote from user: Michiel PYou are not afraid to make mistakes.
I am terribly afraid to make mistakes. But I think I can gain more by doing something than by doing nothing.

Quote from user: Michiel PIf nothing else, the planning of this venture will prove a valuable lesson in itself.
I don't like the sound of that. You know how they say you learn by making mistakes?

Quote from user: Michiel PHere's hoping you will publish the whole run of comics & continue making them as you go along.
I will publish them. You might have to wait for new comics... there's a story line coming up that plays a crucial part in the bigger picture, but honestly, I don't likes th' heck of it.

Quote from user: Michiel PNow, I want to offer some suggestions. They will come over as critical & they are! But, as they say, we "ain't seen nothing yet". Keep this in mind! I don't know much about your comic & you haven't yet won me over as a fan. I'm supportive of your efforts, but at this moment, I don't like what I see ... yet. So here goes ...
I don't think I'll be able to win you over as a fan, then. I'm not a really good artist, and my main goal is to make a gag that works. Personality... not so much. Since characters are supposed to be people, I tend to write them like people, not like characters. If I had to put characteristics on my friends, I wouldn't know where to start. People are sort of bland.
This is not a typical Gerbil comic. There isn't really any humor, but it's just about the only one that stands on its own. But it doesn't get much better than this.

Quote from user: Michiel P1) You might want to create a different logo. The current one looks like "MIS OF". Emphasis is put on the wrong parts of the title. "Gerbil", the name of your protagonist, doesn't draw attention at all, while the irrelevant "OF" gets all of the sunshine.
Heh. :) That was was actually sort of intentional, because I can make the important words (in this case ADVENTURES and GERBIL) big; there is no space for that. But I like the logo for what it is. Clear and simple. I might get around to designing another, but that's not my top priority.

Quote from user: Michiel P2) I strongly advise you to learn to draw hands. This is difficult & in the beginning, they may look like crap. But guess what? You'll get better at it, because you keep practicing. If you keep drawing circles, you won't improve. If you must fail, at least try to fail gloriously by making an effort.
I'm improving on my hands outside the comic. You will see them from time to time when they're needed, but they're mostly circles because I don't see them as being important enough. I have made efforts, earlier in the strip. But I try to keep the art minimalistically. If if I start drawing big, elaborate things, it takes up a long time and looks ugly. I go for the limited animation route. But I never copy poses. The few things I draw are original.

Quote from user: Michiel P3) As you say, the bland protagonist is tried & true in comics. You want to try your hand at it? Be my guest. You should find out for yourself if & how it works. But what you don't need, is three of them. I may be mistaken, but it does seem to me that, apart from Gerbil himself, both the girl & the second guy don't have much of a personality either. Or if they do, it's not reflected in their character design.
Well, the fact that the character designs are bland has more to do with my art skills than their personalities. But #2 (Heinz, as in Doofenshmirtz) is also kind of bland. He exists almost solely to introduce this new world to Gerbil. Which, of, course, he Lampshades at some point: "If I have to play Mr. Information Exposition for much longer, I'll just leave." Since he is not needed much more after that, he doesn't show that much later. In one comic he exclaims that he finally got a personality (they were Trick or Treating), and he hasn't been seen since. Unintentional. He did actually get a personality there, it's just that I haven't had the time to work it out yet. #3 (the girl) actually does have something that resembes a personality. Also not much explored (yet), but I'll get there.

Just about everyone else who isn't Gerbil or Heinz (even Amy, #3) has a gimmick as a characteristic. I'll admit that. And I know it's wrong. But it's all I can. On the plus side, it gives you a sense of "reality" in that there are so many different characters. There are enough stories where the entire world seems to exist only out of the main characters. If they need a friend, they'll call "Friend", the recurring character who seems to be the only friend the main characters have. Not me. I'm going for the Simpsons' route, conciously. And it actually works out in a way.
The Simpsons actually have that too, everyone who isn't a main character has one single gimmick. Barney - Homer's friend who likes beer. Apu - shop owner who constantly gets robbed. Ralph Wiggum - dumb kid. It starts out from that, and expands. Same with my comic. If something calls for personality, I'll give it to them. That's how they become better characters. Of course, it would be better to start out with all that, but this works better for me.

Quote from user: Michiel PYou might want to work on that. Remember, "girl" is not a personality trait!
Yes it is. But not in this comic. The three girls in my comic actually have personalities. More than the boys, in fact. Hey, this is one of the basic things I know! Girls can be strong characters as well. I think Avatar: The Last Airbender (the TV series, not the M. Night movie) learned me that. You should watch that. Good stuff.

Quote from user: Michiel PThis blogpost by John Kricfalusi might prove an inspiration for thinking up different personalities. There's lots of good cartooning advice on his blog. I wish you success!
Wow, that's really insightful. If I have time, I should read more on that website. He seems to know the difference between good and bad entertainment, or at least claims to do so. I needed something like this, he says why something is good and why something else isn't. And he say an insight that I only could ream of. I actually hadn't expected that knowledge from the creator of Ren and Stimpy.

Quote from user: Mr. MI have similar problem with Daisy (and Minine as well) and while over the years some interesting/funny duck stories with her as the main character ["Quacklight" I review is a good example] I still seen many when she have no personality other then the fact she's a girls and their the romantic intrest for main male character. Heck, even Rosa do a callenadar/promotion art he have no idea's what to do with this character other then some jokes involving lipstick or bows... and to be honest that's all we know about her? She writes a dairy, dates Donald (or Gladstone) and think of romantic/girly stuff... that's it beacose over the years nobody really develope her that much. Even Barks.
*shudder* Daisy is a horrible character. She's probably my least favorite character in Disney comics, matched only by Thumper. (They don't capture his on-screen charm!)

Quote from user: Mr. MI guess that's why I found it so refreshing when I seen some of the Romano Scarpa Dickie Duck stories (yhe, I'm not that big fan of the english name as well) Here we have a female character who have a fun personality - she's adventures, she's looking for a thirll, she's a bit of a rebel, she's very charismatic and nobodies love intrest, and usually drags along (babsit?) Huey, Duey and Luey on her adventures who idolise her for her positive trades
I like that! I've read a few stories with her, and I'm very positive about it. (Actually maybe it was just one story - a Scarpa where Scrooge buys an abandoned theme park which the Beagles use as a silver mine - but the Scarpa energy just bounces off the page, and I was immediately captivated by this character!)

Quote from user: Mr. M(propalby if Don Rosa would ever used this character hey would spent time complaing how "eaky" she is for being a girl... yhe, I hate that part in his "Lost libary stories")
Well, he was being true to Barks there. He couldn't have chosen a worse moment. As good and environmentally-conscious the Junior Woodchucks are, they're also kinda sexist. Which Rosa then portrayed in an un-Woodchuck like fashion, and reminds me more of those early bratty nephews. Those two should never be used together! It just doesn't work!

Quote from user: Mr. MDutch Duckfan Down Under's avatar reminded me of "Phineas and Ferb" show who have the fantastic character of Candance. Now here is a female character who while being very girly - if not stereotypical - still have a funy, interesting, oryginal and rich personality. She's obssesive about trying to bust her brothers, which offten get her act neutoric and sometimes almost psychotic. She (in a very oryginal cartoon trade) usually appears to be the only character on the show who is getting more and more aware of the episodes formula to the point we get whole episodes about her trying to crack the shows formula, which makes her only look insane in the eyes of other characters who are confuse about her behavior, while (ironic) her logic makes perfect sence for the viewers who are aware their waching the cartoon (This by the way is a fantastic idea, since the character is technically trying to figure out the way the show writers are thinking and out-smart them) Heck, at one point she even use her knowledge of how the show works to save the day (how and when, I won't spoil) and in the movie she even start to refering the show formula as "mysterious force" and treats it as a God-like being which becomes a bizzar methaphor (never the less a funny one) Out side of the "you're getting busted" gimick she's incredible unliky in everything shes trying to acomplish - from love to part time jobs - and offten get's psychicially abuse (to be honest she's one of few cartoon female character I've seen who gets the Wile Coyote -treatment) or sometimes even mentally (there is this wonderfull runin-joke of her mother asuming she is insane and not treating her seriously) She spent most time trying to act adult and normal - usually to impess her boyfriend - but at the same time she's complitly imature about everythings (some times even more childish then her brothers) and while it appears she dose nothing but trying to spoil her brothers fun she at the same time far from being the villian since many episode show how much she love her brothers - she's just trying to lead a normal teen-age life which they obviously making very hard for her... Man, that's how you make a funny and memorable character ;)
Actually, Candace might be the one thing I don't like about P&F these days. After 130+ episodes, she becomes overkill. It's the same thing again and again, and it's getting tiresome. If only this weren't a central part of the show. They should've let it go long ago. Other than that, she's a typical American teenage girl which is basically a good personality, yeah.

And I'll sign off with this little P&F nod:
"You started a comic without any characters? Did you just expect good characters to fall out of the sky?"
http://johnkstuff.blogspot.nl/2007/07/what-makes-character-character-pt-1.html
"Okay... I should've expected that by now."

Hey Dutch Duckfan,

I enjoyed the initial preview of your comic, and I like the way you're working hard to promote it. I'm looking forward to the actual full-length stories.

But you talk about wanting to "learn by making mistakes," so allow me to pick two minor nits (hey, don't worry... nothing that will require a lot of work!):

Quote from user: Dutch Duckfan Down UnderI can['t] make the important words (in this case ADVENTURES and GERBIL) big; there is no space for that. But I like the logo for what it is. Clear and simple.
Speaking as an editor with some ad design experience, I agree with Michiel P: it may be simple, but it's a little confusing. The logo has to help promote the comic; right now, it stops readers dead in their tracks.
There's plenty of space to make a logo that works with the panel shape you have. Imagine something like this...

http://www.cartoonresearch.com/gerstein/gerbilfix.gif

...except hand-lettered, of course. It's not too late to do this.

Quote:Gerbil?
Uh, yeah, it??s supposed to be ??a random collection of vowels and consonants?? but it turned out to be an actual word in English.
If you wanted it to be pronounced "gurble," why not spell it Gurble? You shouldn't have to constantly tell English-speakers how to pronounce the name, or that it doesn't represent the animal. But you've set yourself up in a spot where you're going to have to keep explaining these things forever.

Why not just "own" it as it is? The spelling stays Gerbil, but it is pronounced like the animal??and you establish that it's his nickname because his friends think he's like a gerbil for some reason (hyperactivity?). Or else it's his actually his real name, and he's either proud of or embarrassed by its unusual nature.
(And see??he's less bland if he has something to fret about!)

Quote from user: ramapithI enjoyed the initial preview of your comic, and I like the way you're working hard to promote it.
Well, I want to promote it because I want people to read it. Sometimes I think of myself as an early Walt Disney - I'm missing my Ub Iwerks!

Quote from user: ramapithBut you talk about wanting to "learn by making mistakes," so allow me to pick two minor nits (hey, don't worry... nothing that will require a lot of work!):
Quote from user: Dutch Duckfan Down UnderQuote from user: Michiel PIf nothing else, the planning of this venture will prove a valuable lesson in itself.
I don't like the sound of that. You know how they say you learn by making mistakes?
Quote from user: ramapithQuote from user: Dutch Duckfan Down UnderI can['t] make the important words (in this case ADVENTURES and GERBIL) big; there is no space for that. But I like the logo for what it is. Clear and simple.
Speaking as an editor with some ad design experience, I agree with Michiel P: it may be simple, but it's a little confusing. The logo has to help promote the comic; right now, it stops readers dead in their tracks.
There's plenty of space to make a logo that works with the panel shape you have. Imagine something like this...

http://www.cartoonresearch.com/gerstein/gerbilfix.gif

...except hand-lettered, of course. It's not too late to do this.
Yes, I will do a logo like that. I haven't designed it yet, but I will use it on future comics. If I continue them.

Quote from user: ramapithQuote from user: Dutch Duckfan Down UnderGerbil?
Uh, yeah, it??s supposed to be ??a random collection of vowels and consonants?? but it turned out to be an actual word in English.
If you wanted it to be pronounced "gurble," why not spell it Gurble? You shouldn't have to constantly tell English-speakers how to pronounce the name, or that it doesn't represent the animal. But you've set yourself up in a spot where you're going to have to keep explaining these things forever.
So I have. I say, I've made a mistake. I learned from it! But I'll keep it as is. Minor imperfection. About pronounciation, it's a webcomic so I don't think it's that much of an issue.

Quote from user: ramapithWhy not just "own" it as it is? The spelling stays Gerbil, but it is pronounced like the animal??and you establish that it's his nickname because his friends think he's like a gerbil for some reason (hyperactivity?). Or else it's his actually his real name, and he's either proud of or embarrassed by its unusual nature.
(And see??he's less bland if he has something to fret about!)
It does represent the animal. Where else would his parents get this name from? And since his name isn't really the main point of the comic, I don't pay much attention to it. I got used to it.

What parents would name their kid Gerbil?
I have no idea. But embarrassing names are a family thing. Gerbil's 1912 ancestor is called Harry Sandwich. There's probably more.