When comics enter development hell

When working on comics, particularly long term, you may encounter a situation where your comic is in…development hell!

Development hell is a form of purgatory for a creative project. We often hear it used in relation to series or movies. The project is bounced from studio to studio, as it’s workshopped, re-written, or just plain frankensteined together till at last it bursts forth into the world, for better or for worse. If they’re lucky.

I have had some projects, some ideas, that are in this state. They get bounced from sketchbook to sketchbook. A few projects have barebones outlines whilst others are more fleshed out. I have had some projects put on hold for a time and some which we have pressed the reset button on.

But is development hell a bad thing?

Yes and no.

There are concepts that need that time to marinate. When you’re hit with a new idea, explore it through concept sketches, writing some dialog or plotting an outline. Feedback from peers is also a good way to determine if the idea is worth pushing it out of this development phase.

But what happens when a project enters the realm of development hell mid production?

Take a look at why. Do you need more resources? What will that involve? Can you potentially find a way around those roadblocks? If not, embrace the development side of things. You can try and upskill yourself or work on another aspect of it. If the development hell is brought by burnout, take that time out to rest and replenish yourself. You can’t create on an empty creative tank.

Has your comic ever entered development hell? Did it make it out? Let us know in the comment section below! And join us on Sunday evening for our Quackchat at 5:30PM(EST)!

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