E3: The making Of frods

My first thoughts went something like this: "Let’s give this character a hairstyle so wild it looks like he’s been electrocuted by a mad scientist."  I also wanted him to have a really cool prosthetic hand with a sci-fi element to it. After thinking this, I came up with a name that’s as unforgettable as his appearance (though, looking back, I might have been better off asking my dog for name suggestions). “Frods” might not be the best choice, but it definitely suits his quirky personality—like that one joke we all roll our eyes at but secretly enjoy!  

When I look back at the first episode of Frods, I see that I made the rookie mistake of throwing viewers straight into the action without any setup. What I mean is, I didn’t start him off gradually in his bedroom—where, let’s be honest, my background-drawing skills were about as advanced as stick figure drawings. Instead, I threw viewers straight into an open battlefield. If it’s your first time making comics, I wouldn’t recommend doing this.

From the beginning, I was determined to end every episode on a cliffhanger, leaving everyone on the edge of their seats, wondering who the next character would be. Speaking of characters, let me reveal my not-so-secret inspiration: my family. Yep, those delightful people who make reality TV look like a nature documentary. If you think Frods is quirky, wait until you meet my relatives. But on a serious note, I wanted each character to have a superpower that matched their personality. So, I asked my family what powers they’d want. My nan wanted to be a nurse, so naturally, I made her an evil nurse with scissor hands. Turns out, her idea of caring was a bit sharper than expected! My other nana, who dreamed of being a baker, ended up as an evil baker with a robotic spoon for a hand. Now she’s whipping up cakes so dangerous they come with a warning label: “Consume at your own risk—may cause spontaneous dance-offs and a sudden urge to join a baking cult!” 

For those who have read the comic, you might have noticed that every version of Frods looks like a different, slightly off-brand action figure you’d find on AliExpress. A huge mistake I made when drawing Frods was accidentally changing his head shape or hairstyle. Remember: when creating a comic, try not to make the protagonist have lots of details, otherwise, you’ll spend more time redrawing them than actually creating the comic. My advice is to give them a simple look that allows you to draw them in different poses. Unless you’re a fan of the “copy and paste” technique, in which case, ignore this advice and embrace the chaos!

Like Time Traitor, I didn't plan Frods in advance. Now, I definitely wouldn’t recommend this approach for writing books, where coherence is key. But for comics? It’s less of a big deal. When I was working on Frods Season 1 (yes, there’s a second season—but let’s save that for another day), I kept it simple. Instead of one grand story line, I packed each episode with smaller mini-stories. Sometimes, it’s more fun to just dive in and see where the ink takes you!

Finally, something that I improved on straight after Frods Season 1 was the 3D aspect. Every episode of Frods was in 2D, which is fine—if you’re a fan of flat, unremarkable visuals! To really make your comic pop, showing off the background more is key. It also taught me how to be more patient with my storytelling, allowing moments to unfold naturally. While Frods Season 1 might not win any beauty contests, the story is a something special. After all, why else would I bother with a second season?