Suffixes and beginnings

[Arararagi]

Do you add suffixes like -kun/-chan?

Also, the opening. Would it be better to start with something like the middle of a fight then dropping down and building back up again, or something more peaceful building up to a climax?

[Cream Puffnut]

Uh, I advise you do not do the suffix thing unless you are setting your comic in the country Japan and/or you honestly know what you are doing language-wise. If your comic has nothing to do with a Japanese setting or has no Japanese origin or whatever then just leave out the suffix stuff.

As for the second question, it depends on how you've drawn out your plot and which one creates the desired effect for your opening.

[A River in Egypt]

Unless you are writing in Japanese, do not use honorifics. You will be mocked.

[Seijaku_Ishida]

A River in Egypt

Unless you are writing in Japanese, do not use honorifics. You will be mocked.

This.

[Kaxen]

I don't use the suffixes. >_> Well, my DA username has -sama, but that was a joke since you're not supposed to use it to refer to yourself, but it probably makes me look like a weeaboo.


The opening. You should think about the tone you want for your comic. If you want to say "this has tons and tons of acttttiooonnn!" it might be a better idea to open with action. This is referring to video games, but I think this Extra Credits video has interesting thoughts on setting a mood at the beginning of a piece: http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/skyrims-opening

[Annie Felis]

I don't use japanese honorifics because I do not speak japanese. I use english honorifics when being polite to strangers, because it's proper to call men "sir" and women "miss" or "ma'am" in english-speaking countries.

[Arararagi]

A River in Egypt

Unless you are writing in Japanese, do not use honorifics. You will be mocked.

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

[IronSpike]

Arararagi

Do you add suffixes like -kun/-chan?

Also, the opening. Would it be better to start with something like the middle of a fight then dropping down and building back up again, or something more peaceful building up to a climax?

You have no reason to add Japanese suffixes to names unless you're writing a Japanese language comic for Japanese readers. The inclusion of Japanese suffixes in imported manga is a translation artifact; many of the subtleties in the Japanese language demand a plethora of honorifics that aren't in common use in English. (Upperclassman, Honored Father, Extremely Honored Father, Big/Little Brother, etc.) The words exist, but don't sound naturalistic to a native-speaker's ear when used in a Japanese way.

And start the story where it makes sense to start the story, not by following a formula. We can't answer the second question with any accuracy, because we haven't got any details. Who's fighting? Why are they fighting? Where are they fighting? What happens after the fight? What happened before the fight? Have you even thought that far?

[Kupocake]

How you want to deal with the opening/exposition really depends on how you want to set up the story. If you start it off straight with an explosion, the audience isn't going to have a whole lot of time to connect with some of the characters, but it will thrust them straight into action and you're less likely to bore them. If you start it off slow, your audience may make a personal connection with your characters and get to know your world, but take it too slowly and you might lose some of your readers. At the same time, it's possible to make an "exciting" opening boring and a slow-and-steady exposition exciting and suspenseful. It's simply how you stack the deck and play the cards.

In the end, there is no right or wrong way to portray the opening. I'm a fan of the building-up approach so that the readers can really get to know the characters more, but every writer has their own way, and any of those approaches can be successful. Just go with what feels right.

Oh and yes, avoid Japanese suffixes, for the love of all things sacred.

[Arararagi]

I think I'll follow the slower approach. Thanks for the advice.

Yeah, I'll be sure to tell my partner not to use the suffixes.

[Arararagi]

Annie Felis

I don't use japanese honorifics because I do not speak japanese. I use english honorifics when being polite to strangers, because it's proper to call men "sir" and women "miss" or "ma'am" in english-speaking countries.

I don't really have anything to say concerning the actual quote, but I must say:

That the is the cutest baby I've ever seen.