A Hook Needs Bait
Comic Reviews for the week ending 12/8/2024
Good morning, my friend,
Storytelling is on my mind all the time. When you’re exposed to stories all day every day, you can’t help but see patterns of what works and what doesn’t.
I’m amazed and saddened by the number of stories that come out these days that don’t work because the creator brushed past the basics of what a reader/viewer/listener needs to get invested in the journey.
You have to hook the audience. There is no compromise.
But to hook the audience they have to see and recognize the bait.
No bait, no audience. No audience? You might as well be farting in the desert.
What does a creator need to implement as fast as possible, or what does the audience need to look for to recognize if a story is worth their time?
4 Points
Establish the main character early and stick with them. You can have supporting characters come in and out, but everything must eventually serve the main character.
Establish the main character’s goal. At a superficial level, the audience must be able to clearly understand what the character is after. When you dig deeper the goal must be tied to a feeling.
Define the motivation or the “why” of the goal. It’s pointless to follow a character in pursuit of something if the audience doesn’t understand why they’re going after it. This applies to heroes AND villains.
Define the consequences if the character achieves or fails to reach their goal. Why? The consequences define the stakes and set the tone and urgency.
This is Storytelling 101 type of stuff, but you’d be surprised how many stories I’ve encountered in the last month from “seasoned” creators who miss some or all these points.
If you're a creator, put these points on your self-editing checklist.
If you're part of the audience, ask yourself if you can pick out these 4 points soon into the story to know whether or not the creator knows what they’re doing.
You’ll be glad you did.
In an upcoming series of newsletters on my main site, I’ll be digging deeper into each of the 4 Points, so sign up today to read all about it:
-Gabe
Next, our Pick of the Week for the most entertaining comic is…
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Now, let’s get on to this week’s reviews (and a little catch-up)
RED SONJA: DEATH AND THE DEVIL #4 – New Comic Review
THUNDERCATS: APEX #1 – New Comic Review
THE MAGIC ORDER (VOL. 5) #3 – New Comic Review
NIGHT CLUB (VOL. 2) #4 – New Comic Review
[Pick of the Week] CONAN: BATTLE OF THE BLACK STONE #4 – New Comic Review
GUNSLINGER SPAWN #38 – New Comic Review
PRAIRIE GODS #3 – New Comic Review
HOUR OF THE WOLF #2 – Sprint Review
KOSHER MAFIA #4 – Sprint Review
THE SCORCHED #36 – Sprint Review
THE ULTIMATES #7 - New Comic Review
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #2 - New Comic Review
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Grimm Tales of Terror 2024 Holiday Special (Zenescope)
Hexiles #2 (Mad Cave Studios)
Transformers #15 (Image Comics)
Space Ghost #8 (Dynamite Comics)
Conan the Barbarian #17 (Titan Comics)
The Savage Sword of Conan #6 (Titan Comics)
Heat Seeker: Combustion #2 (Titan Comics)
Marvel Viewers’ Choice (Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to vote)
DC Viewers’ Choice (Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to vote)
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